Liz
by Katybug
Summary: Aang and his friends find themselves in our world and meet a new friend, Liz. She travels with them to the Western Air Temple and befriends the rest of the Gaang. Kataang, Sukka. I've tried to avoid the Mary Sue thing as much as possible.
1. A Friday To Remember

Hey, everyone! Okay, I just wanted to say that this chapter is NOT the best. I totally admit it. The next chapters will be a WHOLE lot better. I also wanted to apologize about how short the chapters are. I've gotten better at focusing on detail, but this chapter is basically just to get the story going. R&R! -Katybug

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Liz**

**Chapter One: A Friday To Remember**

The hot cement burned her sock-covered feet as Liz walked down her driveway towards her mailbox. _I doubt anything's even in there_, she thought to herself. The breeze swished her brown hair in front of her face, and Liz blew her bangs out of her eyes, annoyed. She had had a long day at school, and wasn't ready to do all of the homework piled up in her book bag. She'd put it off until Sunday night. It was the weekend, and she wanted to enjoy it.

She came to the black, metal mailbox and opened it up. As she suspected, nothing was waiting for her. Liz closed the small door and started to return to her house. She approached the door, but suddenly heard a loud _crash_! "What the-?" she yelled, turning around.

Frantic, she ran down her street, forgetting about her hot feet. Liz turned a corner and saw something she never expected. There were four figures-apparently children-attacking a stop sign. She ran towards them, cautiously, not knowing if they were dangerous or not. Two of them were dressed in blue, one in green, and one was dressed in a yellow shirt with orange wind pants. As she got closer, she noticed that two were girls.

Liz slowly finished up her run, treading lightly behind the group. "What are you doing?" she asked. The boy with an arrow on his head jumped, turned around, and, with a huge staff-looking thing, blasted her into a bush. "Ow!" she shouted.

The boy approached her. He didn't look much older than twelve or thirteen. "Who are you?" he asked, acting as if she was dangerous.

"M-My name is L-Liz. Why...No, _how_ did you knock me into Mr. Jefferson's bush?" Liz demanded.

The boy looked confused. His companions walked up behind him. The girl dressed in blue helped Liz up. "Oh, I guess you've never seen an airbender before, huh?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?" Liz was confused. _Where did these kids come from?_ she thought.

"Katara, don't talk to that girl! She might be a Fire Nation spy!" the boy dressed in blue whispered.

"Again, what are you talking about? I've never heard of a country named 'Fire Nation' before!" Liz stated, not knowing what in the world was going on.

The girl replied, "Sokka, she looks harmless. Maybe she can tell us where we are." The girl with looped strands of hair turned to Liz and asked, "Can you please tell us where we are? We fell into a huge hole while we were looking for food, and we landed in this strange place."

"Yeah," said the shorter girl dressed in green. "I've never felt this type of rock before."

"It's called concrete. And you're in Water Spring County," Liz replied, dusting off leaves from her fall.

The girl called Katara became excited. "There's water nearby? Great! I need to refill my canteen."

"No, no. It's just called Water Spring County, and-" The boy in wind pants cut her off.

"Just tell us if we're in Fire Nation territory or not. We were in the woods before we came to the hole." He sounded angry.

"You're in Alabama. Where is this 'Fire Nation'?"

"Stop playing coy!" the boy called Sokka commanded. He pulled out a sharp-looking boomerang from a pack on his back. "Just tell us where we are!"

"Sokka!" Katara shouted. "You're scaring her!" Liz knew Katara could see the worry in her eyes.

"Yeah! She's telling the truth, anyways!" the girl in green said. Liz glanced at her eyes and noticed she was blind. Liz had never met anyone blind before.

"Oh." Sokka put the boomerang back in the case strapped onto him. "Then let's just go back. There's no need to find out where we are."

"Sokka's right," the bald one added. "Sorry I hurt you. I was just frightened."

Liz nodded and said, "Quite alright. But, please, just tell me who you are and where you've come from. I've never seen you around here."

"I'm Katara," the girl in blue said. "And the one with the ponytail is my brother, Sokka."

"I already told you, it's not a ponytail! It's a warrior's-"

"I'm Toph," the girl in green cut in.

"And I'm Aang," said the boy with arrows on his hands as well. Liz smiled happily, knowing they meant no harm. "Can you bend?"

"Bend what? I have joints," Liz said.

"He means are you an earthbender, waterbender, or firebender?" Katara added. "I can't believe you've never heard of any of this." She sighed. "Here, let me show you some waterbending."

Liz's eyes grew as she witnessed Katara moving liquid water in midair with the movement of her wrists. "Oh...my...gosh..." she whispered.

"Toph, earthbend for her," Katara instructed. Toph threw rocks up into the air with brisk hand and feet movements. "And they way Aang blasted you into that bush was airbending."

"So what can Sokka bend?" Liz asked.

"I'm glad you asked..." he began. He pulled out his boomerang. "Boomerang!"

"...That's nice," Liz responded. "But, that's truly amazing. How can you do all that? Are there more of you?"

"You know what?" Katara said. "Why don't you come with us? We could show you around if you want."

"Well, I don't know if my parents would approve..." Liz heard Toph cough. "...But, I do want to do something this weekend. Why not?"

"Great then," Aang said. "Let's get on Appa and get back to the Air Temple. The others must be getting hungry."

"Who's Appa?" Liz asked.

"You'll see..." Toph replied.

The kids walked towards a manhole in the middle of the street. Toph opened it up with earthbending. "What are you doing?" Liz asked, holding her nose.

"This is how we got here," Sokka answered. "I'll climb through it first."

"Oh sick!" Liz said as Sokka put one foot in the mush. Against her better judgement, Liz climbed through the manhole, and fell through a hole onto soft grass.

Rubbing her back, she looked to her right and saw the big, fluffy bison. Liz screamed and ran behind Sokka, who was gathering things from his group's hunt.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked, jumping up to the reigns on the hairy beast.

"Aang, get off of it! It could eat you!" Liz yelled. Sokka moved toward the bison, and Katara helped him put supplies on its saddle.

"Oh. Don't worry," Aang assured her. "This is Appa, and he's super friendly. He'll fly us back to the others."

"Fly?" Liz asked, walking towards Appa, then petting him. He was very soft.

"Yep," Aang said, smiling. "Climb on, and let's get out of here."

Sokka helped Liz, Katara, and Toph up, and soon Liz heard a "Yip yip." As Appa set out, Liz gripped her seat, frightened out of her mind._ These kids are nuts!_ she screamed in her head.


	2. New Places, New Faces

Thanks to all of my readers! I'm not the best author, so if you have any suggestions, please tell me. I'd really appreciate any advice you have. R&R! -Katybug

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Two: New Places, New Faces**

Despite the utter horror or flying, Liz's trip with the strange children was fascinating. On the way to what Aang called "The Western Air Temple", Liz gazed upon beautiful hills of green, green grass and mysterious, dark forests that rushed away from them below.

"What is this place?" Liz asked Katara.

"Fire Nation territory. It may look peaceful, but the country it's owned by is ruthless," she answered, staring at the floor of Appa's saddle.

"What do you mean?" Liz moved towards her, sad to part from the scenery.

"The war," Sokka said, staring out into the sky. "The war that's been going on for a hundred years."

"A war?" Liz started to regret going with the kids.

"Yes," Katara answered, looking up. "The Fire Nation has taken over most of our world, not caring whether most of the population died in the process or not."

"It's all the stupid Fire Lord's fault," Toph added, laying down. Liz thought she had fallen asleep until she spoke up. "That no good, firebending-"

"That's enough, Toph," Katara scolded. "Aang will stop him when that comet comes. I know he will."

"Okay, I'm confused," Liz admitted.

"Aang's the Avatar," Katara said. "Remember when I told you about waterbending?" Liz nodded. "Well, Aang can bend all four elements, air, water, earth, and fire. It's his job to protect the Four Nations."

"What are they?" Liz asked, wanting to know more.

"Well, Aang is from the Air Nomads. Sadly, he's the last airbender alive. Because of the Fire Nation, the Air Nomads are extinct..." Her voice trailed off. "But, uh, Sokka and I are from the Southern Water Tribe, and Toph is from the Earth Kingdom."

"Okay, I get it now, but you'll still have to explain some more things to me later. Right now I want to keep my eyes on this beautiful scenery," Liz said.

"Sorry, Liz," Aang interrupted. He had apparently been eavesdropping this whole time. "But, we've already arrived at The Air Temple. I want you to meet the rest of the people living with us right now."

"Sounds great," Liz exclaimed.

As the group approached the Temple, Liz was astounded. The ruins were beautiful, and everything was built on the underside of a cliff! "Wow..." she whispered to herself.

Aang landed Appa on an old stone floor, and he helped Liz off, as well as Katara and Toph. Sokka stayed on the saddle so he could pass things down.

"Did you find anything?" a voice from behind asked. Liz jumped, startled. She turned to see a small boy with a big helmet on his head.

"Sorry, Duke," Sokka replied, "just this girl." He pointed to Liz.

"Sokka, it's _The_ Duke. I've told you that a million times." Liz smiled. The Duke turned to Liz and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name's Liz," she told him. He was a cute little boy, much like Liz's neighbor's son. Small, round, and button-nosed.

"Liz is a pretty name..." The Duke said.

Liz giggled. "Thank you." He blushed.

"Liz," Katara called. Liz turned and saw her standing in front of a long hallway. "Come with me. I want to introduce you to some of the others."

"Excuse me," she said to The Duke, then ran towards Katara.

Katara walked with Liz down the long hallway and into an enormous room where Liz saw two boys racing each other. One boy was crippled and used what looked like a wheelchair to move around. The other was tall, had a mustache, and was rather handsome. "Haru! Teo!" Katara shouted, trying to get their attention. "I want you to meet someone!" The two boys turned their heads to look in the girls' direction, then raced towards them.

As they neared them, Liz noticed that the boy in the wheelchair was wearing goggles. She didn't ask why, though. "Liz," Katara said, "this is Haru,"-the boy with the mustache waved and said hi-"and this is Teo." The boy with the goggles waved and said hi as well. "This is Liz," Katara finished.

"Glad to meet you," Liz said politely.

"Same here," Haru replied.

"Katara, have you seen The Duke?" Teo asked. "He left to look for you."

"Yeah, he wanted to know how much food we found. Too bad we didn't find any."

"Okay, good. Hey, Liz, have you met Toph?" Teo wanted to know. Liz nodded. "I'm so sorry." Katara glared at him, and Liz laughed a bit. Katara grabbed her hand, and led her out of the room.

**- - -**

After being introduced to almost everyone else, Katara brought Liz back to where Aang and Sokka were. When the girls arrived, Aang and Sokka were sitting on the floor, talking.

"Aang," Katara asked. He looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Zuko?" She walked closer to her brother and friend. Aang shook his head. "Hm...That's strange."

Liz walked up behind Katara and asked her, "Um...Katara, can you please show me some more waterbending? I'd really like to understand it better."

"Sure," Katara answered with a smile. "Aang, we'll be at the fountain if you find him." The two girls walked off, and Katara guided Liz to a huge fountain in the middle of a smaller room. Water fell from the ceiling into the square pool, but Liz couldn't figure out where it was coming from. "Okay, now watch carefully," Katara said, getting her wrists and fingers ready. Liz payed close attention to Katara as she brought the water up from the swishing pool into the air. She then played with it a bit, moving it back and forth, up and down. Much to Liz's delight, Katara actually froze the water, creating ice crystals that lingered in the air until Katara unfroze them, and set the water back in the fountain.

"That's amazing..." Liz marveled. "I wish I could do that."

"Give it a try," Katara insisted.

"Okay, but we just don't have waterbending where I come from." Katara showed Liz a simple move, getting the water into the air, and asked her to try it. Liz took a deep breath, then slowly moved her wrist. A trickle of sweat fell down her cheek, and Liz closed her eyes, hoping the water would move.

Two minutes passed by, and Liz was going to give up. But, suddenly, Katara shouted, "Liz! Liz, you're doing it! You're waterbending!"

Liz opened her eyes and gasped as she saw a perfectly round ball of water floating above the fountain. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "You're right! I am!" Liz dropped the water and ran to Katara, hugging and thanking her. "Thank you so much, Katara."

"Oh, you're welcome. Have you ever tried waterbending before?"

"No. Remember, they don't have bending in my world."

"That's right. Hm...Well, why don't we work on some more moves?" Liz smiled and nodded, and the girls continued to practice.

**- - -**

While Liz was working hard on waterbending, Aang went to go look for Zuko. As he walked down the long hallways and corridors of the Temple, he could feel the heat and see the orange light of dusk. Liz was going to have to go home soon.

He found Zuko practicing on a terrace. Flame daggers were gripped in his fists. Aang became uneasy. "Um...Zuko?"

"What?!" Zuko yelled in a harsh tone.

"Th-There's someone Katara wants you to meet." Aang started to shake.

"It'll have to wait. I need more practice." He kicked and sent a flame into a wall.

"Zuko, you need a break. Please?" Aang warily walked closer.

Zuko took a deep breath and let steam blow out of his nose. "...Fine." Aang and Zuko walked to the small room where the fountain stood in the middle.

"Katara," Aang called. The two girls inside turned to face them. Zuko turned redder than the scar on his eye. Liz's long hair swirled around her shoulders and her grin took up most of her face.

Sadly, that grin vanished as Liz noticed the scar on Zuko's left eye. She cringed and had to force herself to walk up to him. Her dirty socks swept the floor as she took baby steps toward the tall, messy-haired boy. Trying again to be polite, Liz slapped the smile back on her face, and said, "Hi. My name's Liz."

Zuko's blush became brighter as he slipped out," M-My name i-is...My name is..."

"Zuko," Aang finished for him. "His name's Zuko." Liz laughed to herself.

Embarrassment overcame the scarred boy as he shouted, "I know my own name! You don't have to announce it to her for me!" Liz's laugh ceased, and she became frightened by the young firebender.

"Um, Zuko," Katara said gently, "Liz and I have to get back to practicing."

As the girls walked back to the fountain, Liz whispered, "What's with him?"

"It's a long story..." Katara answered.


	3. The Cold Shoulder

Hi again! Wow...You read this far without getting bored? Awesome. This chapter is a little longer, so that's better, but, again, please PM me or review this story if you have any advice or suggestions. R&R! -Katybug

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Three: The Cold Shoulder**

"Now I want to show you how to freeze the water once you've gotten it in the air. Watch closely." Katara stretched out her nimble fingers and dragged her hands slowly towards the ceiling, lifting water above her head. Liz's eyes were glued to Katara's hands, eating up every move she made. The skilled bender bent her fingers, then quickly straightened them, freezing the water hanging above her. "Try it out," she said.

Liz took a deep breath, then focused her attention to the water. Her fingers shook as she pulled water up, then tried to freeze it. Unfortunately, things turned on her, and the water fell back into the fountain below it, splashing Katara and Liz. "Dang it!" Liz groaned.

"Don't worry. You'll get it," Katara comforted. Liz smiled, but, suddenly, realizing how much time had passed since her arrival, ran towards the hallway. "Liz, where are you going?" Katara called out, racing after her.

"It's almost nightfall," Liz said, trying to find a balcony. "My parents are probably worried. I need to get back home." Katara caught up with her. "Where's a balcony? I need to find out what time it is."

"I'm sure they're fine," Katara said, trying to calm Liz down.

"I doubt that."

"You're not really ready to go home, are you? I wanted to teach you some more skills."

Liz looked at her new friend, wanting to stay. She sighed. "I guess I could stay a little while longer, but shouldn't we ask Aang first?" Katara nodded, and she and Liz walked back to the main room that was attached to a balcony. Aang was sitting, watching Sokka start a fire.

"Aang, can Liz stay for a little bit longer?" Katara asked.

"Sure," Aang answered. "It'll be fun having someone else here. We're gonna eat as soon as Sokka starts this fire." Katara and Liz watched as Sokka took two pieces of flint and rubbed them together, attempting to get a spark. Suddenly, one of the rocks slipped and hit his finger.

"Ouch!" he shouted. The others giggled.

"Why don't you let me help," Aang offered. "I _am_ a firebender, after all."

"No, no. I can get it," Sokka whined. He hit the stones together again and again, but no spark appeared. "Ugh! Stupid rocks. Stupid universe..." He got up and walked away, calling after him, "I'm gonna go get some more flint. I'll be right back."

Once Sokka was out of sight, Aang said, "Watch this." He sparked a fire in his palm and lit the wood in the fire pit. Liz raised an eyebrow, wondering what Aang was doing.

After five minutes, Sokka returned with three huge rocks in his hands. He saw the sparkling fire and smiled. "See! I told you the flint would work!" Liz cupped a hand and put it to her mouth, hiding her quivering lip.

**- - -**

That night, everyone sat around the roaring fire and ate fruit that Haru had found while practicing on the cliff. Liz wanted to hear some stories from the kids, so The Duke decided to go first and told some tales about his days with Jet. Liz clung to every word the young boy said, fascinated by the freedom-fighter life.

While The Duke was talking about catching a platypusbear, Aang looked around and noticed someone was missing. "I'll be right back," he announced.

He walked around the deserted temple, and finally found the missing person firebending on a balcony all alone.

Zuko shot a fireball at blank wall, trying to blow off steam. "Ugh! I'm so stupid!" he yelled, upset that he made a fool of himself in front of Liz.

"You're not stupid." He turned to see Aang sitting on an air scooter. "Why would you say that?"

"None of your business," Zuko replied harshly. "Go back to the little campfire you and your friends set up."

"No," Aang said in an innocent voice. "You're mad, and I want to help you. I'm the Avatar. That's what I do."

"It would help me if you'd leave," Zuko said coldly. He continued to bend, not paying attention to Aang.

"What do you think of Liz?" Aang asked, annoying the sixteen-year-old.

"Why do you care?"

"Well, everyone else seems to like her. I just wanted to know what you thought of her." The air scooter disappeared, and Aang's feet hit the ground with a thud.

"She's great. Now leave."

"Okay then." Aang began to walk away. With a sly smirk, he said under his breath, "I bet she thinks you're cute, too."

Zuko flushed and ran up to Aang, pinning him against a wall. "What?" he asked without letting go.

"Nothing," Aang said with a smile on his round face. "It's just that you acted pretty weird around her, and-"

"I was just trying to be polite to her," Zuko insisted, Aang still in his grip. "And, I'm not very good at that." He drop the tattooed boy. "Now go!" He watched as Aang slowly marched back to the group.

**- - -**

As Aang arrived back to the others, everyone was getting their sleeping bags ready, except for Liz and Katara, who were still sitting around the fire. The Avatar couldn't help but notice how beautiful Katara looked in the light of the fire. The way her blue eyes shined created butterflies in his stomach, and the way the breeze hit her made her hair blow, slightly. He sighed, staring the waterbender.

"Well, guys," Liz said, getting up and stretching, "thanks so much for the stories. It was fun, but I really need to get home. My parents must be going out of their minds."

Katara got up as well. "But you can't go," she said, giving Liz puppy-dog eyes. "We're having so much fun, and I love having another waterbender around to practice with."

Aang cleared his throat. "What about me?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Well...Another _girl_ waterbender."

Liz grinned, happy to have made such a sweet friend. "I really appreciate it, guys, but I think I should really-"

"Don't go." Aang, Liz, and Katara turned to see Zuko walking towards them. Liz, once again, cringed at the sight of his scar. "You could be a valuable addition to the Avatar's team. We need you to help overthrow my father."

"Who's your father?" Liz asked, a bit confused.

"Zuko is the Fire Lord's son," Katara explained. Liz stared at the prince, mouth agape.

"R-Really?" Zuko nodded. "Oh...Okay. I'll stay." Liz looked around for a vacant sleeping bag. Not one could be found. "I guess I'll sleep on Appa tonight."

Aang walked to Liz and smiled. "Thank you," he said. He turned to Katara. "Katara, you and Sokka need to get some sleep. We're going to the market tomorrow to get some supplies."

"And food!" Sokka called from a distance.

Aang laughed. "And food."

Liz yawned and approached the furry giant she was slumbering on that night. She rubbed his side, then climbed on. Liz looked down below her, watching Aang as he walked to his sleeping bag. He looked up at her and waved goodnight. Katara did the same, and, soon, the fire was put out, and all was silent.

Making a pillow out of her hands, Liz laid down and closed her eyes. Sleep quickly found her, and her dreams were pleasant.


	4. A Friend In Danger

Hey, guys! I have dedications for this chapter. They are:

RedLoveDrop & KityPryde

Hope you like this chapter! R&R! -Katybug

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Four: A Friend In Danger**

The snoring stopped as Liz was shaken by Sokka, who was trying to get her up. "Liz?" he whispered. "Liz?" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her like a dishrag. "Liz!"

She shot up. "But I don't like bananas!" she said, apparently awakening from a dream. Sokka's nose crinkled as he chuckled softly. Liz blushed, looking at Sokka with tired eyes. "Sorry," she whispered. It was still early morning.

"Liz," Sokka continued, "Katara, Aang, and I need to get to the market. Sorry for tearing you away from Appa, but you can take my sleeping bag while we're gone."

Liz sniffed. "...Okay." She slowly got up, and tried to climb down the bison's side. Tripping, she stumbled into Katara, who was walking up behind her. "Sorry."

Katara smiled. "It's okay." She looked up at her brother. "Sokka, why can't Liz come with us? I'd love to have another girl come and shop with me."

"What about Toph?" Liz asked.

"Toph?" Katara chuckled. "We'll be lucky if Toph wakes up before midday."

"Liz can come," Aang's voice said behind the two girls. They turned to see the young Avatar with a hood over his head to cover the blue arrow.

The two girls smiled at each other, happy to have shopping partners. "I'll go get ready," Liz announced. "Does anyone have a comb?" Katara pulled a seal-tooth comb out of a bag on her shoulder. "Thanks." Liz walked off to the fountain to wash up, while Zuko came towards the others, wanting to join them on their trip.

Sokka was, of course, reluctant at first, but finally said, "Zuko...You can come. We'll need protection anyway."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Why? Oh, wait, it's not that 'Food eats people!' thing again, is it?" Sokka's face went blank.

"No!" he replied. "It's just in case something goes wrong." Katara rolled her eyes and headed after Liz to the fountain.

**- - -**

The harsh wind kept pushing Liz's bangs in her face while she and the rest of the group were flying to a near-by Fire Nation market. Annoyed, she pushed the thin bangs behind her ear.

Looking below, Liz could see nothing but forests and hills, with the occasionally river or two. The young foreigner was still astonished by the view, just as she had been the day before. Every once in a while, though, she'd bring her gaze back up to the people on Appa's saddle. Aang was steering, Sokka was counting money, Katara was putting a band in her hair, and Zuko was just sitting in the back, staring at the floor of the saddle.

Suddenly, Aang called out, "We're here!" And, indeed they were. From far away, Liz could see a small bazaar next to a village. She frowned, knowing there was a long walk ahead of her. In the midst of her thinking, Appa landed, again thumping his large toes on the ground, and Liz jumped up, surprised by the sudden stop. Sokka and Katara giggled slightly, and it was enough to make Zuko look up.

They all climbed off, and Aang and Sokka pulled a large sheet of moss off a bolder and laid it on top of Appa, creating a cover for the giant cotton ball. Liz's feet were bare (she had left her shoes at home, and her socks were too dirty), so the walk to the market wasn't very pleasant, and it was also very silent. No one talked, and if there was a sound coming from anyone's mouth, it was a yawn. She figured it to be around ten, considering how bright it was outside. The air was fresh, and Liz tried to take slow breaths as she walked.

"Ouch!" Liz suddenly screeched. Everyone jumped. Even Zuko.

"What is it, Liz?" Katara asked in a motherly tone.

Liz lifted her dirty foot and began to massage it. "Oh, it...It was nothing. I just stepped on a sharp rock, that's all." Katara smiled, and they continued the long walk.

But, soon, Liz took a breath of relief as they all came out of the thick brush and into the crowded streets of the bazaar.

"I'll go look for food!" Sokka volunteered while keeping his eyes on a booth selling what seemed to be fresh fish.

He started walking towards it, and Aang stated, "I guess Zuko and I will go look for some supplies." Zuko sighed, then nodded.

"Okay," Katara agreed. "Liz and I will go look for some clothes."

The two girls walked off together and began looking for people selling clothes. Liz needed new clothes if she was going to stay in the Avatar's world. Her jeans and T-shirt stood out a bit. _I wonder where they get the fish from?_ Liz wondered to herself. Suddenly, a salty smell took over her nostrils. She turned to what looked like a dock at the other side of the market.

"We better lay low," Katara whispered in Liz's ear as they passed two Fire Nation guards that were standing around a well. Liz nodded, not fully understanding.

**- - -**

After wandering around for probably twenty minutes, Katara found a small little clothing booth. She raced towards it, shouting after her, "Liz, c'mon!" Liz ran after the waterbender, trying to keep up.

Katara led her to a large wooden rack that held up red cloaks, sashes, hats, and wraps. "These look pretty nice," Liz said, feeling the fabric on a dark red sash.

"Would you like to try them on?" the merchant who was selling the clothes insisted. Liz and Katara nodded eagerly. "Take what you like. There are changing tents back there." The old woman pointed to brightly-colored tents that were towards the back of her stand.

"Thanks," Liz said, smiling. The two girls began looking, and Katara soon found Liz an outfit that she thought would look nice on her. Liz walked to the tent, and about three minutes later, she walked back out.

"It looks great!" Katara exclaimed.

"Really?" Liz asked. She had never been much of a clothes shopper. Jeans were basically her thing. The old woman running the clothing stall brought a rusty mirror for her. Liz turned around, walked in place, and admired the beautiful red that covered her body. The maroon sash fit around her shoulder and waste, making a bit of a figure stand out. The baggy red pants felt comfortable, and Liz liked the way they looked. "Um, do you have any slippers?" she asked the old merchant. "Nothing too fancy or anything. Just something to protect my feet."

The woman nodded and brought out a pair of simple, rose-colored slippers. Liz tried them on, and said she was satisfied. Katara paid the old woman, and Liz walked away feeling better. She finally blended in and didn't have to worry about causing the kids trouble by sticking out. "Thanks, Katara," Liz whispered. Katara shot her a smile, and the two went to find the others.

**- - -**

The girls quietly slid past the two guards again without being noticed. "Why do we have to be so careful?" Liz asked once they were far enough away.

Katara's eyes shone with a hint of fear, before quickly returning to normal. "Every one of us, Sokka, Aang, me, Zuko, we're all outlaws of the Fire Nation. We've been in hiding since..." Her voice trailed off. Katara thought back to the Day of Black Sun. A shiver ran down her back.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Liz comforted. Katara sighed and nodded without taking her eyes off of the ground she stared at. They walked in silence after that. Liz noticed that she could still smell the salt from the water. For some strange reason, it made her feel good, and after the little shopping trip with Katara that day, she realized she didn't want to go home.

After about ten minutes of searching for the rest of the group, Liz could see a shadow out of the corner of her eye. Without turning her head much, she glanced behind. She leaned into Katara and whispered, "I think we're being followed." Katara looked at her with worry written all over her face. "There's a man behind us. Do you know who it is?" Katara's eyes fluttered as she tried to see behind her without turning her head.

"He seems familiar, but I doubt he's seen me before," she replied. Relief overcame both of them, and they kept on looking for one of the others.

After a while, Liz looked back again and didn't see the man. _Maybe he thought he knew us_, Liz thought to herself. "There's Sokka," Katara whispered. About ten yards away, Sokka was talking to a merchant selling turtleducks.

Katara took exactly four steps, when, suddenly, a man behind her yelled, "That's her!" Liz and Katara turned to see the man that was following them with two guards. He was pointing at Katara. "That's the girl who's helping the Avatar! They're always destroying my cabbages!" In the blink of an eye, the two guards rushed up to Katara and grabbed her arms. They began pulling her away.

Sokka ran towards them, while Liz bended water whips, slapping the guards, hoping they'd let go as they towed Katara to the navy ship that was anchored at the dock. Sokka pulled out his boomerang. "We don't have time for that!" Liz shouted. "Just run!"

The two ran after Katara who was struggling and yelling, "Let go! Liz! Help!" Liz kept her eyes on her friend, trying to remember the moves she had learned.

The whips wouldn't work, and Liz finally commanded Sokka, "Find Aang and Zuko! Go now!" Sokka ran off to search for his companions. Tears flooded Liz's eyes as she watched the guards pull Katara up on the metal ship. "Katara!" she screamed, fearing for her friend's life.

But it was too late. The ship's bridge was being lifted up, and there was no way to get to Katara now. Liz collapsed on the wooden dock. She sat on her weak knees and berried her face in her hands. That's how the others found her.

Sokka rushed back with Aang and Zuko at his side. "Liz!" Zuko shouted, seeing the girl crying on the dock. He ran to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Sh-She's...gone," Liz whispered. "I...I couldn't stop them...I should've been able to stop them, but I just couldn't!" Tears were still racing down her cheeks.

Aang walked towards her and said, "It's okay. We'll find her. We need to get on Appa and follow them." Liz slowly got up, drying her eyes. Zuko tried to help her, but she didn't pay attention to him. _Aang's right_, she thought. _We'll get her back_.


	5. The Escape

I wrote this chapter while rocking out to Paramore (helps intensify things) and wishing that Edward Cullen was real (makes the sad parts even worse), so, in my opinion, it's a pretty good chapter. I have another dedication:

Kataang-or-Zutara (Thanks for putting Liz in your fic, Linz! You've done a wonderful job!)

R&R! -KTBG

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Five: The Escape**

Hearts pounded in their chests as Aang, Sokka, Zuko, and Liz raced to Appa. Liz kept picturing Katara in her head, afraid of the "what if"'s that crossed her mind. After jumping on Appa, Aang asked in a hurried voice, "Liz, can you help me make a cloud?"

"I-I don't kn-know if I can d-do that," Liz stammered.

"Just try," Aang pushed. "We need cover." Liz took a deep breath and pulled water out of a container that was always attached to the saddle.

_You can do this_, Liz said to herself. Her shaky fingers tried to create flowing motions, thinning the water and creating mist. "Good. Keep going," Aang said. Liz noticed Sokka was trying to steer. The airbender twisted his arms around each other and circles of captured air blended in with the fog Liz had made. A sigh of relief fled her lungs as Liz noticed the puffyness beginning to surround Appa. They were covered.

Without being noticed, the group followed the navy ship that contained Katara. Aang's heart broke every time he heard another of Katara's cries. "Let me go!" paraded around in Liz's ears as her tired arms kept sweeping through the thick blanket on top of her. Another tear slipped from her eye down her cheek. A friend was in danger, and it was her fault.

"Stop crying," a voice from behind her said. She ignored the prince, keeping her thoughts on Katara. "Everything's going to be fine."

More tears escaped, and Liz couldn't ignore him any longer. "How do you know?" she whispered.

"What?"

"How do you know?" she yelled, angry. Her hands stopped for a second, but she quickly caught herself and kept going.

"Trust me. I know." Zuko laughed to himself as he thought about the day he had captured Katara. Those pirates were idiots. "She'll be okay."

"But it was my fault!" Liz sobbed. She never looked at the boy, afraid of his obvious scar.

"Nothing was your fault!" Zuko fought back, annoyed at her self-pity. "You did everything you could!"

"You don't understand..." Liz didn't say a word after that. Zuko was quiet and kept to himself. She knew that. _He won't bother me again_, she comforted herself with a sigh.

**- - -**

The ship they followed led them to an island that surrounded a long-dormant volcano. Only one side of the sandy island was inhabited. A small but guarded prison was built on the right side of the volcano. The lone cloud landed on the far side.

"Stay here, buddy," Aang said to his bison. "C'mon," he told the others. They followed him to three large boulders, big enough for them to hide behind.

"What's the plan?" Sokka asked, whispering in Aang's ear. They were so close together, Liz could feel Sokka's breath as he talked.

Aang sighed, watching guards move Katara into the prison. They held her by the arms, and she was struggling. "Let go!" she screamed again.

"Shut your mouth!" a guard commanded. Liz's heart jumped.

"I don't know..." Aang replied to Sokka's question. He glanced to the ship docked in the water. He then turned to Zuko and Sokka. "Zuko, I want you and Sokka to go dismantle that ship, that way they can't follow us. Hit it, blast it, rip the pipes, I really don't care what you do to it, as long as it doesn't work. Understood?" The boys nodded their heads. Aang's head suddenly turned to Liz. She gasped inside her mind. _What can I do?_ she asked herself. "Liz?" Her eyes stared at the arrow on Aang's head, avoiding eye contact. "You and I are going into the prison and getting Katara. I'll get us to the roof without being seen, then we'll climb down. Can you distract the guards while I get to Katara?" Liz nodded. This was way more than she could handle. She almost went deaf hearing the pounding of her heart in her chest. Breathing was becoming harder.

Aang waited until the coast was clear, then he sent Sokka and Zuko on their way. Liz watched as their nimble feet imprinted on the sand. She silently wished them luck, then her wrist was grasped by Aang's small hand. He pulled her from behind the rocks, and the two ran, keeping their eyes on the small, wooden prison. Liz couldn't feel the sand underneath her feet, which was odd since she was the slowest person in her school. An itch began to form in her throat as Aang created a whirlwind of dust and dirt around them.

"Hold on," Aang whispered. Liz gripped his shirt as he bent his head towards the ground and blew. A huge gust of wind came out where his slight breath usually was. The blast lifted the kids into the air. Liz closed her burning eyes and kept them closed until she felt solid ground under her feet once more. As she slowly opened her eyes, Aang pulled her down by her shoulders. They both laid down on their stomachs on top of the roof of the jail.

"What cell do you think she's in?" Liz asked in a whisper.

"There are probably only five cells in this place. This prison isn't big enough to hold only twenty inmates."

"It's big enough to hold two more," Liz replied under her breath. Aang's head was turning, looking for some way in.

"Crawl," he suddenly said.

"What?" He pointed to a small vent only thirty feet away.

"See that vent? We have to crawl to get to it. Once we're inside, I'll figure something out." Liz nodded and began to slither her way across the hot surface of wood, collecting splinters along the way. At every inch, she'd pray that they didn't get caught.

After minutes of hours, she and Aang reached the metal vent. Aang slowly lifted it, careful not to make a sound. He looked down, and whispered to Liz, "We're good. Jump down." He slid through the small hole with grace, while Liz couldn't do it as easily. _Stupid Big Mac!_ she thought, regretting her meal before she came into Aang's world.

Her feet hit the floor, and Aang took her wrist and dragged her into what looked like a closet in the long hallway. He silently closed the door.

"How do we know where to find her?" Liz asked, out of breath.

"I...don't know," he replied, pausing mid-sentence. Suddenly, a tapping sound appeared in their ears. Liz gasped as the footsteps passed the closet. They stopped, and so did Liz's breathing. The knob on the door began to turn.

"Hide!" Liz whispered to Aang. He jumped behind a box in the corner of the small room, and Liz was left standing in the middle of the closet.

The door opened, and a guard dressed in armor peered in, seeing a girl dressed in red, standing with her eyes wide, staring back at him, and her mouth hanging open. He pushed the door open all the way, but Liz never moved. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Liz didn't answer. Her face remained the same.

"Come with me," the heavily dressed guard commanded, reaching out to grab her.

Without knowing it, Liz's hand balled into a fist and swung itself into the guards face. After the impulse, Liz's feet gained a mind of their own as well and rushed her into the hall while the guard was rubbing his cheek. "Get her!" he shouted, signaling the others to find Liz.

_Oh my gosh! What did I just do?_ she asked herself over and over while trying to find Katara's cell. The prison was even smaller than it looked on the outside. While running through a maze of hallways, she came to a large room with wooden cells lined up on each side. Running back and forth, she could see no one in the empty rooms. "This isn't good..." she told herself. Suddenly, a guard appeared in the doorway of the room. He raced after her, cornering her against a wall. Two more guards followed him, one being the man Liz punched in the face.

Liz watched as one guard lit a fire in his palm. Another guard walked up to Liz and grabbed her hands and began pushing her across the room with the fire as a threat if she did anything she wasn't supposed to.

While walking towards the doorway, Liz spotted someone in one of the cells. She looked closer and joyously shouted, "Katara!" The inmate turned her head and smiled, but it quickly vanished as Katara saw Liz's predicament.

"Shut up!" The guard holding her commanded. Liz let out a sigh, not knowing what would happen.

All of a sudden, a giant wind blew into the room, knocking the guards and Liz down. Liz looked up from the ground and saw Aang smashing Katara's cell open with earthbending. She ran out and helped Liz up, saying, "Thanks" while she did it.

"No problem," Liz replied, lying. The three of them ran out as the guards tried to get up, returning to the vent Aang and Liz had come in through. Aang grasped Katara's foot first and lifted her up to the roof. Then came Liz, and, finally, himself, jumping up without effort.

They ran across the steaming roof and hopped off onto the soft sand below. Soldiers and guards ran out of the prison gates and surrounded them. Out of the corner of her eye, Liz could see Sokka and Zuko atop the ship, dismantling it as Aang had instructed. On the deck of the navy ship, the boys had a good view of what was happening on the beach.

Aang and Katara shifted into their fighting stances, and Liz just stood there, not knowing what to do. She swept her arms through the salty air and brought a slim line of water from the ocean. She slapped every attacker that came near her with it, but none of them budged.

The airbender and his friend were of much more help. Creating cyclones. Freezing the men in ice. Liz marveled, wishing she had the same skills. Mesmerized by her daydreaming, she didn't see the firebender behind her.

He took a step closer, and Liz still didn't notice. One more...Suddenly, Liz jerked her head around and regained her consciousness, swiping her fingers to pick the water whip back up into the air. As she began to hit the man, he punched the air and a fire blast headed to Liz's leg, hitting it and knocking her down in agony.

**- - -**

Up on the high deck on the giant ship, Zuko was throwing coal overboard. He looked down at the beach to watch the fight, just in case they needed help. His eyes grew as he watched Liz fall to the ground, grabbing her burnt leg. "Liz!" he shouted. The young prince quickly ran to the bridge of the ship, never taking his eyes off Liz. He raced down the dock and jumped in front of Katara and Aang. "Get behind me!" he commanded both of them.They did what he said, and Katara ran to Liz's side, getting water to her legs as fast as she could.

Zuko put both fists out in front of him and felt the heat move from his lungs through his body to his hands. The fire escaped from his clenched fists and blasted in the direction of the guards, hitting most of them. As they fell to the ground, Zuko instructed, "Aang! Freeze them in place!" The guards shivered as hard forms of ice bond their hands and feet.

Katara kept trying to heal Liz, who was now unconscious. "C'mon, Liz," Katara whispered. "Please wake up..." She turned her head to see Sokka running towards her down the beach. When he reached his sister, Katara explained, "Sokka, Liz is hurt really badly. Carry her to Appa. Aang and Zuko will finish off the ship." Without saying anything, Sokka scooped up the young girl and started running towards Appa. He had a long way to go.

"Help me finish the ship off!" Aang shouted to Zuko as his fragile legs moved him to the big boat. Zuko followed him reluctantly, wanting to go with Sokka and Katara to take care of Liz.

**- - -**

"Is she going to be okay?" Aang asked, as the gang was flying back to the temple.

"I...I don't know," Katara replied, rubbing her soft hands over Liz's wound. "Her burn might take a while to heal...If it does heal. She was hit pretty bad."

"If she does get better," Sokka began, "as soon as she can walk again, she's going home."

"What?" Zuko spoke up. "She doesn't have to."

"Sokka is, unfortunately, right, Zuko," Katara said, not wanting her new friend to leave, but even more worried about her health at the moment. "I don't want her to leave, either, but..." She sighed. "...but..."

"But we can't afford for her to get hurt again," Sokka finished.

Katara's beautiful, blue eyes looked down at Liz. A warm, salty tear raced down her cheek, and another chased after it.


	6. Restless Night

This next chapter kind of slows down the story, so I apologize. It's basically to get some Kataang in. Zutarians, listen, I'm on your side, but this story called for Kataang. Sorry. My friend, Kataang-or-Zutara, helped me edit this chapter, as she does with every chapter, giving me advice and what not. (Sorry for not crediting you earlier, Linz. Don't sue, please.)

Dedications: **KityPryde** & **RedLoveDrop**. You guys are awesome!

R&R! -Katybug

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Six: Restless Night**

The wary group flew back to the temple, watching over the wounded Liz. Every time she would moan or twitch, Zuko would jump, and Katara would end it. "Shh," she'd whisper, calming the girl down. "You're going to be okay." Her lips trembled as she spoke the lie.

**- - -**

Sokka set one foot down on the temple floor, holding Liz in his strong arms. Aang's pet, Momo, ran to him and climbed up his side. Licking Liz's cheek, Katara took him in her arms and set him down, saying, "Shoo, Momo. Liz needs to rest." Sokka walked to his blue sleeping bag and set the girl down on it, being careful not to wake her up.

Katara followed him and sat next to Liz, telling Sokka, "You go tell the others we're back. Afterwards, go with Haru to find more of that fruit. We need something to eat tonight." Her tired brother nodded his head. His blue eyes carried bags underneath them.

The waterbender waved her bony fingers over a canteen of water lying next to her. A bulge of clear water floated up from inside. She pulled the puddle into her hands, inhaling slowly, then exhaling, and rubbed them on Liz's burn. The water began to glow as the healing was taking effect. A gruff noise came from Liz's mouth, making clear that the water was stinging a bit. None the less, Katara kept her hands on the girl's leg, being sure to do the best she could to heal it.

Focusing on her patient, Katara didn't notice the shadow coming from behind her. "Katara?" Aang's voice managed to say after the long day. Katara jumped slightly, startled.

She turned her head, never lifting her hands. "Yes, Aang?"

"Well, Zuko helped to build a fire, and I thought that you might want to take a break."

"Sorry, Aang, but I can't leave her right now. She needs constant supervision."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he assured her. He held out his hand, and she stared at him. Katara bent her fingers and grasped the water in her palms. Her mouth dried as she slipped a breath down her throat. Then she dragged it with her slight movement of gripping her fingers and flowed it all through the air, then placed it in the container. She took the boy's hand, and he helped her up. They walked together to the fire, not saying a word while their knees were shaking as they walked.

Katara noticed the darkness taking over the ruins and asked, "It's nightfall already?" The light of the fire glared against the black of night as the two walked towards it, their skin begging for the warmth. The crackle of the flickering fire danced through their ears.

Sokka, Zuko, Toph, and the others were sitting around it, leaning in. Aang and Katara sat down, and Toph asked with a sort of mocking in her voice, "Princess, I heard you got captured today. What happened?"

Katara's eyes glanced up at the earthbender from under her eyelashes, not really wanting to answer her question. "Well," she began, with a sigh in her feminine voice, "we went to the market, and..." She paused, thinking hard. The day was a blur. So much had happened so fast. "And..." Katara pursed her thin lips.

"Katara was noticed by someone," Sokka finished for her. Everyone's eyes widened. He tried to explain the rest of the story, but only Aang to tell them what had happened on the beach.

"So what did you do?" Teo asked, hungry for so much more from the story.

"Katara and I tried to hold off the guards, and one snuck up on Liz. He burnt her leg, and Katara's been trying to heal her since then," he said, leaving out any gruesome details he could think of. He did include Zuko's shining moment, though. "As soon as Liz went down," he continued, "Zuko rushed in and finished the guards off. To be honest, I've never seen him bend like that." All eyes found their way to Zuko, who was quietly listening, keeping his head down the whole time. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I don't know," Zuko replied without any emotion in his rough voice. "It just sort of...came out." He forced himself to glance at the waving flames. His eyes ran back to the ground, thinking about the burn that hit Liz's leg. _How could I let that happen? _he asked himself. He now understood what Liz was feeling earlier that day. Terrible...

**- - -**

That night, Katara returned to Liz, and noticed she was sweating. She cooled her down by waving her wrist and hand back and forth over Liz's hurt body, cooling off the water inside of her. After she thought the girl would be fine for the rest of the night, she slowly shuffled back to her sleeping bag, tired from the long and perilous day. She crawled inside and closed her eyes.

Minutes passed, and, for some strange reason, sleep never found her. She turned over and tried again. Nothing happened. Her eyes fluttered open, and she pushed the bag back and stood up. Not knowing how she would sleep, Katara shuffled her petite feet across the floor and found a balcony where she could think some things through.

The dark sky was peppered with white stars. "I could 've died today..." she mused, not knowing why in the world Aang would risk his life to save hers. Was it the same reason she would do the same for him? Asking herself these question, she couldn't hear Aang stepping towards her. Her eyes flickered to his direction and back, and she saw him coming. "Can't sleep?" she asked him as he rubbed a tired eye with the back of his hand. He stood next to her, but he tried not to look directly into her eyes, knowing he would be too distracted to speak.

"Yeah," he mumbled. Aang took a chance and turned his head to look at her. "I need to talk to you." Katara looked at him with concerned eyes. "Katara, when I heard you yelling at those guards, trying to free yourself, I felt...I don't know. Hurt, I guess."

She smiled at him. "Aang, everything's okay now. Thank you for saving me. Just...Just know that everything's okay now. Liz is looking better, and no one else was hurt."

"What about when I face the Fire Lord? What if I can't do it?" His grey eyes began to shine with tears.

Katara smiled even wider. "Everything will be okay," she assured him. "You are the most talented boy I know. Don't tell Sokka I said that, though." Aang nodded, chuckling. "Ozai doesn't know what he's up against. Neither does Azula." Katara leaned toward Aang and kissed his cheek. He gently blushed and hoped Katara didn't notice. A grin grew on his face, and Katara continued. "Now, you should probably go back to sleep. If Sokka wakes up because of that weird dream where all the meat in the world is gone, he'll need someone to comfort him." Aang laughed again, and he began to walk back.

Katara kept standing on the balcony, staring at the beautiful stars and thinking about her mother. She thought about that day so long ago, and she thought about the last time she saw her mother. Her face twitched at the memory of the man's cruel eye. It all felt like it happened the other day, all still fresh in her mind.

Unable to fall asleep, still, Katara walked back to where Liz lay sleeping, kissing the stars goodnight as she left. Nothing had changed since she'd left the girl's side. Well, actually, Liz was snoring when Katara walked beside her. Drool was slipping out of her mouth, and every time she inhaled, the spit would travel back into her open jaws. "Ew," Katara whispered. "You'd think she was Toph..." Her voice trailed off.

**- - -**

Zuko was running. Trees flew past him as he tried to get away from something following him. Too scared too look behind him, he could only guess.

"Hurry, Zuzu! Hurry!" a voice screeched behind his back. His guess was correct. Blue lightning filled the dark sky around him, and crackles of fire sounded in his ears.

Suddenly, the dark forest ended, and a tall stone wall appeared before him. Squinting his eyes, he slowly turned to face Azula, her evil face tinted with blue from her fingertips and a forest of burning trees and orange flames behind her. A frightening grin was spread across her face, and she lifted a hand, two fingers pointed to the sky, ready to strike.

"Zuko, help!" screamed a voice next to him. Afraid to turn, he could only adjust his eyes to his right. He gasped at the sight of Katara kneeling down next to a wounded Liz. "Zuko, please help!" Katara screamed again. "She's hurt!"

"Save her, Zuzu," Azula insisted with pride in her voice. His feet wouldn't move, frozen with fear. He knew he would die if he took another step. He glanced at Katara and Liz, her hair sprawled out on the forest floor, and a look that could scare Death on her face.

"Zuko!" Katara shouted once more. He lifted his foot towards her and saw a straight line of blue coming directly at him.

That's when he woke up.

Zuko shot up from his sleeping bag. Sweat was gushing from his forehead. He took slow, deep breaths, feeling the air move to and from his lungs. Finally, he sighed in relief that it was all a dream. He laid back down and closed his eyes, comforted by the darkness of sleep.

**- - -**

Sokka also awoke that night, his face sweating as well. A terrible dream had taken place in his stressed mind. "Aang," he whispered. A few yards away, Aang slowly sat up.

"What is it, Sokka?" Aang asked with sleep still stuck in his voice.

"The meat was gone..." Sokka whispered to himself. "All the meat was gone..."

"Sokka, it was just a dream," Aang stated, lying back down. "Go back to sleep."

Sokka laid on his side and pulled his cover over him, but his eyes wouldn't shut. "All the meat was gone..."


	7. Three Days

Hey, guys! I'm so, incredibly sorry for not posting last week! Homework caught up with me, and writer's block hit. Here's my next chapter, finally finished. It's pretty long, and I added it to make the story a little longer, and to count down to...Well, I better not tell you.

This story's dedications go to:

**Writing for my Cat **(HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Here's your present!) & **Stargirlrox-hearts-Avatar**

Also, if you have any suggestions, want me to add something, anything, please PM me. R&R! -Katybug

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Seven: Three Days**

**Day One - Strange Behavior**

Zuko's amber eyes slowly opened, letting sunlight in. He quickly shut them again, not wanting to get up after his long night. The dream flashed back in his mind. Azula's face was imprinted in his head, and so was Liz's. The way her arms were still beside her, while her long hair everywhere around her.

Sleep came back to him after relaxing a bit, feeling the morning's heat on his pale skin. Another dream flooded his mind once more, but it was a pleasant one this time. He was positioned in a beautiful field of grass, and he was wearing his old Fire Nation robes. Feeling his eye, he was surprised to find his scar was gone. "What..." he asked himself.

"Zuko..." said a voice in the distance. He turned around and saw a dark figure across the field of tall, soft grass. "Zuko..."

Recognizing the voice, he began to run towards the person covered in Fire Nation red. "Zuko..." it whispered again.

His eyes began to overflow with tears. "Mother!" he shouted. His arms flung open as Ursa became clearer, and he could see his gorgeous mother, her arms open as well. "Mother!"

"Zuko!" Suddenly, Zuko was being shaken. His eyes fluttered open in shock. He looked up to see Aang leaning over him, grey eyes wide. "Zuko! Finally, you're awake! Breakfast is ready." Zuko furrowed his brow, upset that it had all been a dream. "Get up." He watched Aang walk away, propped up on one arm. He took a deep breath and hesitantly stood up and followed the Avatar.

He found everyone sitting around the fire pit, eating more fruit. Glancing around the circle, his hopes failed. "Is Liz still asleep?" he asked in a tired voice.

Katara cocked her head to one side and said, "I'm afraid not. I checked on her this morning, and her burn hasn't improved much, unfortunately." He felt a blow to his chest, but nothing had hit him.

Zuko sat down next to Sokka, who was staring at the fruit that lay in his cupped hands. "Why aren't you eating?" Zuko asked him, surprised. Sokka didn't answer. A cold look could be seen on his face. It looked...unnatural, at least from Zuko's point of view. Aang passed the firebender a papaya, and he took a juicy bite of the side of it. He rubbed his arm across his mouth where juice was running down his chin.

"How did you sleep last night, Zuko?" Aang asked in his normal, innocent voice.

Zuko hesitated. "Uh...I couldn't sleep very...I had a nightmare, and I woke up." He wanted to leave it at that, but The Duke spoke up.

"What was it about?" the little one asked, rubbing his cheeks where juice was splattered all over.

"It was nothing. I can't even remember it," he lied, trying to end the conversation.

"I heard you talking in your sleep," Katara admitted, teasing him. "You kept rambling on about Azula, fire, and I think I even heard Liz's name." Zuko blushed bright red. "I remember you saying, 'I'm coming' and 'I'll save her', or something like that."

The scarred boy opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as Aang saved him. "Sokka had a bad dream last night, too," he said in a mocking voice. "It was about all the meat in the world disappearing." Everyone giggled, and Sokka narrowed his eyes, which were still fixed on his breakfast. He put his food down on the floor in front of him, and stood up, storming off to the balcony near them. "What did I say?" Aang asked. Katara shrugged her shoulders, and everyone continued to eat.

Toph, who had been listening carefully to the conversation, took a big bite of a mango, wiped her mouth and chin, and stood up. She bent her hands and placed them on her back, then leaned backwards, stretching. "I'm gonna go check on Snoozles, see what his problem is and stuff," she announced. She cracked her knuckles and slowly marched to the balcony Sokka had gone to. She could feel tension in his nerves.

"What do you need, Toph?" Sokka asked in a deep voice, which was strange for him.

"What's your deal?" Toph demanded, slamming a foot on the ground, causing a pillar to shoot up in front of her. Sokka didn't turn around to face her. "You didn't touch your breakfast this morning, and I can tell you're feel really down! Now, tell me what's going on, or I'll pound it out of you!" Sokka rolled his eyes, annoyed be her aggressiveness.

"It's nothing Toph," he tried to convince her, turning to see if she'd believe it.

"Don't lie to me, Whiney!" she growled. She walked a few steps closer to him until she was directly in front of his face.

Sokka scrunched his nose, wishing Toph had taken a bath in the past week, or at least had brushed her teeth. He sighed. "I don't want to talk about it, Toph," he whispered, hoping none of the others were listening. "It's complicated." He backed up, and walked away, leaving Toph alone on the balcony. The slight breeze kissed her cheek, and she sighed, letting off some of the steam inside of her.

**- - -**

After breakfast, Katara got up and walked to Sokka's sleeping bag, where Liz lay sleeping, still unconscious. She kneeled down next to her and brought her hands to the canteen of water that she kept beside the wounded girl. Taking a long breath, feeling the air rush in and out of her and shaking as the cool breeze tickled her throat, she curled her hand, lifting the water up once more. Katara dragged the clear wet blobs to Liz's burns that stretched across her leg.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Katara turned to look up at a dark figure above her, creating a shadow that covered her body. "What's wrong, Zuko?" she asked in quiet voice, still uncomfortable with the fact that Zuko was living with them.

The messy-haired boy stood, not answering, staring at the burn on Liz's leg. It wasn't bad enough to leave a scar, but it was terrible to look at. A dark, rust-colored patch was imprinted on her left leg, and a smaller burn was set on the right. It covered most of her lower leg, and her baggy pants had been burned into long shorts. A flashback played in his mind, showing the fire hit her leg. How she had grabbed her knee and fell into the sand...

"Zuko?" Katara asked, narrowing her eyebrows in confusion, interrupting his thoughts. "Zuko, is something wrong?"

He shook his head, making his moppy hair swish back and forth. "No," he said in his raspy voice. "I was just checking on you." Katara raised an eyebrow, but, as Zuko left, she shrugged and continued with the healing session.

**Day** **Two - Help Wanted**

The next day at sunrise, Zuko awoke early, sweating because of another dream. This one continued the dream of his mother that Aang interrupted the day before. His was standing in the green field once again, and saw his mother, this time dressed in golden robes, with patterns of lilies threaded in bright silk. He smiled as Ursa'a long hair flew in the breeze. He began to run to her once more, his arms open wide. Her smile was bigger than ever.

"Mother!" Zuko shouted gleefully. He finally reached her, keeping her in a loving embrace. "Mother, I've missed you..." he whispered.

"I've missed you, too, Zuko" came his mother's response. As the hug ended, and warm tears were dried from both of their cheeks, Zuko stood back to look at his beautiful mother. Unfortunately, when his eyes caught glimpse of his brutal reality, it turned out he was hugging Ozai, his father. Blackness dripped around them, finally engulfing his whole surroundings, as his father's evil chuckles filled his ears. It was at this painful moment, he awoke.

**- - -**

He couldn't go back to sleep. The dreadful sun kept shining in his eyes, keeping him up. Zuko groaned, still tired from his nightmare. He stood up, stretched, then decided to take a walk and clear his head. With a crick in his neck, he paced to a nearby balcony.

As he arrived, he noticed someone else had deiced to take a walk as well. The prince walked closer to the edge and sat down next to Aang.

Apparently, the young Avatar had been meditating when Zuko found him. Aang opened an eye to see who interrupted his thoughts. When he saw that it was Zuko, he relaxed and stopped meditating, wanting to at least try to engage Zuko in conversation. "Morning," Aang said in a peppy voice.

"...Morning," Zuko replied.

"Come to watch the sunrise?" Aang asked, resting his hands in his lap.

Zuko glanced at Aang from the corners of his eyes. He let out a deep breath and said, "Yeah." The bright sun already had risen, but there was still colorful rays of light around it, signifying the beginning of a new day. The orange sky was filled with purple and gold, as well as red. The great ball of heat that was in the middle of it all looked stunning. The sun's glare was intense, but neither boy could look away from it, admiring the beauty of it all. Especially Aang.

"It's really nice, isn't it?" Aang asked with a grin on his face, each corner of his mouth reaching a grey eye.

Zuko didn't respond. He hadn't seen a sunrise like this in a while. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful it could be.

**- - -**

That evening, as everyone gathered around the fire, Sokka was acting strange again.

"Sokka, are you gonna eat your leechy nuts?" The Duke asked in what seemed like a squeek.

The Water Tribe boy held four leechy nuts in his palm, rolling them around like marbles. Hearing The Duke's voice, he perked up and asked, "What? What did you say, Duke?"

The Duke opened his mouth to correct him, but held his tongue. "I...I asked if you were gonna eat your leechy nuts."

Sokka sniffed. "Oh. Okay, here, you can have them." The Duke held out his tiny hand, and Sokka dropped the nuts inside of it. The young boy quickly gobbled them up, smacking as he did so. Sokka stood up, careful of the flames he was close to, and turned to Zuko, who was sitting next to Katara. "Zuko, can I talk to you for a second?" The firebender nodded and stood, walking with Sokka outside of the fire ring and into the darkness of night.

While the two boys were outside, Aang asked Katara, "How was Liz doing today?" He popped a leechy nut in his mouth.

"Well, she was actually looking better today. Her burn's gonna leave a mark for a while, but the skin is healing. She might wake up pretty soon, but I'm still not sure..." Her voice trailed off.

"That's the longest I've ever seen any sleep because of an injury, and just think about how many guys I've knocked out," Toph commented, picking her dirty toes by the fire. "Well, not really. Twinletoes slept for way longer when he got hit. I'd forgotten to count that." Katara giggled slightly, but Aang didn't say anything.

Haru decided to change the subject. "Aang, how have your firebending lessons been going?"

Aang's eyes widened, surprised. "Oh man! I forgot all about that! I guess Zuko will start up again tomorrow. I hope two days off schedule won't make Sokka angry. You know how he is." Everyone laughed, and the mood was lifted. The crackle of the fire now sounded lighter, and not as harsh. Silence overcame the group, as they watched the flames grow and darken, grow and darken, grow and darken...

After a few minutes, Sokka and Zuko returned to the rest of the kids. They sat down, and everyone seemed to notice that Sokka had a hard expression on his face. A determined expression.

**Day Three -Croaks of the Badgerfrog**

Katara awoke the next day, feeling better. She'd gotten over the trauma of two days ago, and was convinced Liz would recover once she gained consciousness. The girl sat up in her sleeping bag and stretched her arms reaching for the ceiling above her and bent her fingers back and forth, flexing her most-used weapons. She bent her back, releasing knots that built up during the night. The sunlight from outside looked welcoming, and the balconies around her looked like nice spots to do a little yoga. Katara stood up and headed for Liz for her morning healing session.

Liz was lying peacefully, a slight smile on her face. Katara grinned, knowing that was a sign of recovery. Liz was going to be fine. She was sure of it. As she neared the sleeping girl, she noticed something bundled up on her side. Looking closer, Katara saw it was Momo, curled up next to Liz, sleeping like a log. Katara laughed to herself, but tried to be quiet.

She kneeled down and pulled back the cover to examine the burn. It was noticeable, but barely. It looked brown now, a large bruise. She figured Liz was sleeping off the shock, which was common. Glancing at her patient once more, something caught her eye. Liz wasn't breathing.

Katara gasped. "Oh no..." she whispered. Katara gently picked up Liz's wrist. Her chest wasn't moving, and her pulse was slow. "Oh no..." A trickle of sweat could be seen on Liz's forehead, and Katara wiped it away with her sleeve. Her forehead wasn't warm, so there wasn't a fever, but a breath still never escaped her lips.

Suddenly, a loud roaring sound came from Liz's mouth. A ringing began bashing in Katara's ears, and she closed her eyes to try and block out the noise, cringing as she did so. "What in the world...?" Katara wondered. As she opened her eyes, she saw Liz was breathing again. "W...Was that a snore?" Katara asked herself. She let it go and decided to begin the healing session as she did every morning.

**- - -**

Katara found Aang looking at a piece of paper grasped in his hands. "What's that?" she asked, walking towards him.

"It's a note from Zuko and Sokka. It says they went on a fishing trip," Aang replied.

"Anything else?"

"Uh, yes. It says, 'Aang, do ten hot squats every time you hear a badgerfrog croak.'" He let out a groan. "Nobody else has homework..." A croak came from the distance. Aang rolled his eyes and began to train as Zuko instructed. "One hot squat, two hot squats..."


	8. Welcome Back

Sorry for such a late chapter! I really, really am! Ugh, I had terrible writer's block and quarter finals at school! Well, this one is short, but I hope you like it.

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Eight: Welcome Back**

Her round eyes fluttered open, and a yawn escaped her jaws. She sniffed, then looked around, noticing the sunlight that lit her warm face. "Am I..." she began. Suddenly, she heard a cry behind her.

Turning her head, she saw Katara running towards her, screaming, "Liz, you're awake!"

****

- - -

"K...Katara?" Liz wondered. "Is th-that you?" Katara slid on her knees and wrapped her arms around Liz.

"Liz, thank goodness you're awake!" she said with her voice muffled, her face buried in Liz's shoulder.

"Katara...What happened?" Liz asked, trying to remember the events of days before. She held her heavy head, feeling slightly dazed.

"I'll tell you later," Katara said, getting up. "Right now, I have to tell Aang you're awake!"

Liz coughed and mumbled, "Hold on. I'm coming with you..."

Katara quickly turned around, gasping, "Liz, don't-" But, it was too late. Liz had pulled back the cover on top of her to reveal the light brown spot that covered her legs. Her eyes grew wide, and she began to choke with shock. Katara kneeled down once more, trying to calm Liz down. "Liz-Liz, it's okay!" she whispered in motherly voice. "You're fine!"

Liz looked at her with wet eyes. "Tell me what happened..." Every word sounded like it's own sentence. Katara bit her lip and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Aang, who'd come to tell her about breakfast.

"Liz?" he asked, his face confused. "You're awake!" He smiled at her with teeth shining bright, but Liz was so shocked, she couldn't return the favor. Katara turned to Aang, a frown was stretched underneath her blue eyes. "Oh..." Aang breathed, understanding. He walked towards the two girls and sat down next to Katara. "I wish Zuko was here to help," he groaned to himself.

"What do you remember?" Katara asked. Worry shown everywhere on her dark face.

Liz tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but could only succeed with one. "Uh," she grunted. "I...I remember watching you and turning to see that guard, I'm guessing, behind me. Then...nothing." She sniffed again. "Wait!" Liz suddenly exclaimed. "How long w-was I out?" Katara bit her lip again.

"Three days."

Rage began to well up inside of her, and Liz's face turned red. "Three days?" she mouthed. Aang nodded, and so did Katara. With her free hand, Liz clutched her stomach, suddenly feeling sick. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The warm air dried the top palate of her mouth. "Well...What happened after I went down?"

"That's where Zuko came in," Aang replied.

"Zuko?" Liz asked. _That quiet guy?_ She thought to herself. Aang nodded. "What do you mean?"

Aang pursed his slim lips, staring at the floor. "He kind of...Well, he saw you fall, I guess, so he ran down from the ship, and-"

"And he finished off the guards," Katara finished. Her glossy eyes still clung to worry.

"He...He finished them off?" Liz asked. She shook her head, trying to make sense of the things she was being told.Suddenly, a wave of dizziness knocked into her. Liz moaned and whispered, "Katara, c-can I please have some water. I'm really thirsty..." Katara nodded, then quickly brought her fingers together, grabbing a stream of water and holding it in the air. Liz's dry mouth quickly caught the soft stream, and she forced it down quickly.

"She's dehydrated," Aang announced. "Hand her the canteen." Katara reached over and grabbed the seal skin pouch of water and put in Liz's weak hand. The girl drank it all very quickly, savoring the coolness that filled her mouth. Her burning throat welcomed the water as it went down, drenching the sides.

Wiping her mouth, Liz asked for more. As Katara left, she mouthed "three days". She drew in short breaths, trying to hold back the lump that grew in her throat. "A-Aang, can you please get me some f-fruit? I'm hungry." Aang nodded and got up to retrieve the mangos near the fire pit.

Katara returned with more water, and Liz glugged thatdown, too. After two more trips to the fountain, Liz finally asked Katara, "Katara, c-can you help me up?" Katara held out a dark hand, and Liz reached up, grabbing it with large fingers. Using her arm, Liz pushed against the dusty floor, actually managing to lift herself up. Her shaky knees began to wobble, and she fell back down. "I th-think I might h-have forgotten how to w-walk," Liz stammered with a slight grin. Katara smiled back, helping her up once more. Finally, the burned girl took her first step in three days. Then another, and another.

****

- - -

It wasn't until another sun had risen and fallen that Sokka and Zuko returned. Strangers and family came with them, too.

Aang, Toph, Katara, and Liz were sitting around the fire pit when the large war ship arrived. Aang heard it first, then Toph felt it hit. All heads turned to see a balloon-looking thing land on the ruin floor, and Sokka was the first to step out, a beautiful girl holding his bony hand.

The boy held his head high, and his chest was out. A look of accomplishment spread across his face as he walked towards the group smiling. "Sokka!" Katara called, running towards her brother with open arms. She flung them around him, and the others followed.

"Hey, guys!" he replied with a broad smile. "You remember Suki, right?"

"Of course," Katara said, hugging the warrior at Sokka's side. "Great to see you again, Suki."

A more heart-warming reunion came with Katara and her father, a handsome man with a brusque voice that remained trapped in your head. She hugged him, eyes wet with tears of joy. The embrace lasted a long time, and it was such a lovely moment.

Zuko, on the other hand, walked out, fists clenched and Mai still fresh on his mind. The look of her long, black hair with sheen and gloss shining bright off of it. Her voice kept repeating in his head, and he couldn't get it out."Saving the jerk who dumped me..."The beautiful monotone rang again and again. His eyes glued to the ground, he didn't notice that Liz was back on her feet again.

"How was the trip, Zuko?" Aang asked, eager for more training with his teacher.

The prince rolled his amber eyes and glanced in the airbender's direction, opening his mouth to answer. But, instead of a short reply, he caught sight of Liz greeting Suki. "Liz?" he asked. The girl reluctantly turned to face him, forcing a meek smile.

Wincing once more at his terrible scar, she managed to bare her buck teeth and sharp canines. "You're walking!" Zuko whispered to himself, hoping no one noticed the excitement in his raspy voice.

"Hey, Zuko..." Liz said, waving her shaky hand. She was still frightened by the harshness in his voice.

Zuko cleared his throat. "It's...um...nice to see that you're better. When did you wake up?" He walked near her, and, without thinking, Liz slowly backed away.

She stuck her tongue in her cheek, thinking. "Yesterday, actually," she finally admitted.

Zuko nodded, not knowing what to say afterwards. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Liz's arm, and she turned to see Suki tugging on her sleeve and pulling her to the fountain room. "What do you need, Suki?" Liz asked in a polite voice.

"Well, since you've been out for a while, Katara and I thought you might enjoy some girlie chatting," she whispered with a wide grin smeared across her gorgeous face. Liz's eyes glanced at Katara and saw that see was nodding, a smile present on her lips, as well. Liz rolled her eyes and thought, _What the heck? _She grinned back and followed the two to the fountain. Toph snorted as they left the room. "Sissies..."


	9. Sisters

Sorry about another late chapter. Been busy, you know? School was a killer this week, although my choir got to go see a play on Thursday, and it was **great**! Nice break from work, I guess. Anyways, this chapter is a little longer than the others, but I thought you guys might enjoy a little Luko, so here you go. Please R&R! -KTBG

P.S. We went to see "Dr. Jackle and Mr. Hyde" to get us a little spooked for Halloween. It was really creepy, but I loved every minute of it! Sorry, just had to brag a little...

P.S.S. Um...I've been pretty worried about this, considering this story has an OC in it...Is Liz a Mary Sue?

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Chapter Nine: Sisters**

Again, the morning sun flashed rays through the openings to the balconies all around. Liz, her hands behind her head, lay on her back, watching the dust fly through the little bolts of light. Laughing, she remembered when she was a toddler, trying to cath the particles in her fingers. She always wondered where they went...Another chuckle escaped.

She breathed in the fresh, dawn air, letting the sweet scent linger in her nose before letting it out.Staring at the wrinkled ceiling above her, she let thoughts race around her mind, not caring what they were about. Blinking slowly, she recalled the pilled up book bag full of work for her, but she didn't care. Though her parents must've been going crazy, Liz didn't care. Nothing mattered at the moment. All she could do was enjoy the smell of early morning and the beautiful whistling of the birds. Liz let another breath out.

"Good morning!" sang a bright voice. Liz turned her head to look at the sparkling Suki, pretty as always. Someone Liz knew she'd never even amount to.

"Morning," Liz mumbled, propping herself up on an elbow, shooting more dust in the air as she did so. "Why are you up so early?"

"Well..." she whispered, flushing slightly. "Sokka kind of wanted to watch the sunrise with me this morning. I was just passing by to start breakfast when I noticed you were awake."

Liz took a whiff of air through her nose. "The sunrise _was_ really gorgeous."

Suki nodded. "Hungry?"

"Uh, not really," Liz breathed. "But, I'll be up a little later when I am. Is Katara up yet?" The warrior shook her head, then waved and walked off. Liz laid back down on her back, just staring into space once more. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

**- - -**

"Get up!" a rough voice hissed in her ear. Liz jumped up, almost hitting her head against Toph's, who was leaning over her. "You're almost worse than me!" she spat.

Liz massaged her tired eyes, preparing them for the light that was going to flood them. "Almost?" Liz asked with a smirk as she stared into Toph's unseeing eyes.

"Yeah," Toph replied, crossing her arms. "I woke up a little early today, so I thought I might wake you up, as well."

"That was thoughtful of you," Liz said with a grin in her froggy voice. She cleared her throat.

"Don't get used to it," Toph called after her as she walked off. "Breakfast is ready."

"Thanks!" Liz shouted, stretching and pushing herself up.

After a quick walk to the fountain to clean up, Liz made her way to the fire pit to enjoy some fish Hakoda'd caught from a nearby stream. Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the temple, Katara handed her a fish, which Liz hungrily took a bite of. "Good morning," Aang said with his usual grin.

"Morning," Liz mumbled back. "Why are you so happy this morning, Aang?" she asked in a polite tone.

"Twinkles is just excited to continue his firebending training with Sparky over here," Toph commented, pointing to Zuko. Liz struggled not let out the giggle fighting to be let out. She failed, of course.

"What's so funny about training?" Zuko asked in his harsh tone, taking a small bite of fish.

"It's...It's nothing..." Liz mumbled under her breath, afraid to look at the prince's scar. The deep crimson mark still frightened her. Avoiding Zuko, Liz turned her attention to Katara. "Speaking of training," she began, "are we going to work on some more waterbending?"

"If you want to," Katara replied, flashing her beautiful smile. _Are all the girls here pretty?_ Liz asked herself, letting out a huff that blew her bangs from in front of her eyes.

**- - -**

"Okay, this is pretty hard, but I think you should give it a try." Katara prepared Liz for another lesson. "It's called streaming the water, and it's kind of hard. But, considering you've got the water whip down, it should be easier for you." She brought her nimble fingers together gracefully, taking her time. Katara took a deep breath, letting in the cool scent of the water. It tickled her throat. Continuing the demonstration, Katara picked up a strand of clear water from the pool. She twisted her thin wrists and began to pull them in front of her chest. Pulling it in a circular motion, she swirled it around her. Taking another breath, Katara stretched out her arms, pushing the flowing liquid out further.

"I think I've seen Aang do this before..." Liz said to herself, unfortunately smashing the silence surrounding them. A ripple of shock ran up Katara's back and into her arms. The wave made its way into her fingers, and then, the water broke away from her hold, splashing into the fountain and onto her clothes.

Liz bit her full, bottom lip, cringing at her mistake. "Sorry about that, Katara," she whispered after Katara'd released the water from her skirt into the pool.

Letting out a sigh, Katara said, "That's okay. You just shocked me."

"Sorry..." Liz apologized again, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"Like I said, it's okay, Liz," Katara said, annoyance slightly pressed into her words.

Liz still wouldn't let it go. "You don't hate me, do you?" she asked with her hands clasped behind her back.

Katara just smiled and rolled her sparkling eyes. Liz let out a chuckle, herself. "Well, let me show you that move, again," Katara said with a sigh. She lifted her shoulders and rolled her head in a stretch and brought her fingers out once more. Liz was careful not to speak this time.

Katara took another breath and bent her tan fingers, imitating claws on cats, in Liz's eyes. The water below began to push its way up with effort, creating mounds in the flat surface around the center. Taking another breath, Katara lifted the mounds into the air, and little balls floated up towards her hands, finally joining together a few inches below.

Taking mental notes at every step, Liz suddenly felt an idea pop into her head. Unintentionally, a gasp let itself out of her mouth. Another splash from the fountain soaked the floor and Katara's clothes. _Nice job, Liz_, she scolded herself.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked, apparently not as upset as Liz had feared.

"Katara, fill the container next to Appa," Liz ordered. "I have an idea."

**- - -**

"Okay, so you take the fog," Liz began. She and Katara were outside on a balcony near Appa's sleeping area. The blinding sun shone down with immense heat. Liz felt a trickle of sweat run down her clad back. She'd asked Katara to change the density of a canteen of water, thinning it out into fog. Swiping her hands, Liz captured the liquid from Katara's hold. "And then, you hold it over your head." Turning her hands into numb claws, Liz bent her fingers and dragged the mist into the air, pushing it above her messy hair.

Katara marveled as seven stunning colors shot out in different directions from the thin fog. Her slender jaw slowly descended toward her feet as the rainbow sparkled in the sun's rays. Like crystal, the mist had created a picture of colors in the air. A rainbow. "Liz...How did you-"

A sudden _bang_ interrupted Katara mid-sentence. Liz dropped the fog, bringing it back down to a lower level. The girls turned to see two pale blurs, throwing jabs at each other with a flame bursting out every five seconds. Katara playfully glared at the two boys. "Guys!" she called.

The sparks and punches ceased, and Liz could now see Aang and Zuko, pale and sweaty, gasping for breath as Katara'd calmed them down. "Can you do this somewhere else?" Katara asked. Zuko glared back at her, but in his cold, bitter way.

"Sure," Aang said with a bright grin, as always. The two boys walked closer, and Liz shifted her fingers right and left, trying to drag the water back into its pouch. She could hear a rumbling groan coming from Aang. "Geez, I'm starving," he said, holding his stomach. "Katara, do you wanna go eat something? You look hungry, too." Liz finally maneuvered the water into the canteen, pushing it down. Looking up, she saw Katara's shimmering eyes staring at her with warmth.

"I'm going to go eat with Aang, okay?" she said, smiling. "I'll be back in a little while." Liz nodded, smiling back. She watched Katara and Aang walk off, but couldn't look up at the firebender in front of her. Why was he not hungry? He was just skin and bones.

Clearing his throat, Zuko asked, "Are you hungry?" Liz took a deep breath, letting the fresh breeze sweep through her. She looked up unwillingly and stared. Just stared. How could she not? The bulging scar on his right eye was enormous. Liz cringed once more, and Zuko frowned. A deeper one than normally. Liz's eyes quickly fell back to the ground, staring at Zuko's bare feet. The creases around his boney toes made shadows inside of the stretch of sickly pale.

"N-No...I'm sorry..." Her voice trailed off.

Zuko angrily let out a breath of frustration. "It's okay. My sister stares a lot." Liz's squinting eyes shot open.

Being as brave as she could, she looked back up at him. _I'll stare at his nose_, she thought. _Yeah. His nose will do._ "Hmpf. Your sister? My sister is twice as bad." Zuko let out a quiet laugh. Liz turned to look out into the sky. She walked towards the edge of the balcony, her hands intertwine behind her back. "My parents can't get over how 'amazing and talented' she is," Liz complained with air quotes. "And she's my _little_ sister, too!" Clenching her hands into fist, she turned back around to Zuko, grinding her teeth at every step she took. "I mean, she's always been the beautiful, majestic one, and I've done nothing more than make good grades in school!" Zuko rolled his eyes, knowing how much worse it was for him. "She can dance, sing, and she still looks great! My parents never even look twice at me!" Getting caught up in her whining, Liz shot out a finger and thrust it in Zuko's face. "You know, that's what gets me the most! She's so pretty! Blonde hair, blue eyes, the works! And here I am, brunette and tan, nothing else! Gosh!"

Taking in a deep breath, Liz finally looked down at the finger she pointed in Zuko's face. She brought her hand back down, immediately, embarrassed. Hot blood swirled around in her cheeks as Liz blushed, frowning to the ground. "Sorry..." she said, taking a few steps back. "I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay," Zuko said without a smile. "I've got a little sister, too." He huffed. "My father's favorite, really."

Liz slowly brought her gaze back up. "Well, what about your mother?" she asked, innocently furrowing her brow.

Zuko glared, ignoring the question. "My father never even gave me a chance to..." He stopped. "Well, that's not really all that true..."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "What to you mean?" Walking closer, she could somewhat feel heat radiating for Zuko's body. Realizing his anger, Liz stepped back once more. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"No...I'm fine, I just-" He was cut off as Katara raced towards them.

"Liz, Aang needs to talk to you," she said, sort of gasping for breath. "C'mon!" She grabbed Liz's arm and began to pull her away. Knowing Katara, Liz didn't protest. She watched as Zuko just let his head hang from his shoulders.

"Sorry!" Liz called behind her. Zuko didn't answer.

**- - -**

NOTE: When I was writing about the rainbow (I know it was cheesy, but I thought it was a nice idea), I was about to write "eight colors" instead of seven. Then I realized, Katara's not a vampire.


	10. The Earthbender

Alright, you can go ahead and scream at me now. I know, I know. It's been...what? Like, a decade since I last updated. I hate myself for not writing, but writer's block is a very powerful thing, my friend. Anyways, it's not just that. Considering school, family, and, oh, the 48-hour _Bones_ marathon I watched, you can see distractions are also very powerful. By the way, can I ask you guys a question? Well, no offense to any of my male readers, but how come the best guys are fictional? Seeley Booth, Jacob Black...Seriously. Sorry, I have ADD. (I finished the _Twilight_ series, by the way. _Breaking Dawn_'s good, but not the best.) Okay, anyways, on to Chapter 10. It's short and not very good, but I hope you like it. R&R! -KTBG

P.S. **Update! I've changed the genre and summary of the story. It is now Friendship/Adventure. **

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**The Earthbender**

Flames of heat burst from little beads of pain as Liz's shoulder was being ripped out of its socket. "Gah!" she gasped. "Katara, I didn't know you were this strong!" Katara's skinny fingers were wrapped around Liz's forearm, pulling her to the fire pit.

Aang and Sokka were sitting, cross-legged on the floor next to the fire pit. Their eyes were glued to a ragged map clenched tightly in Sokka's tan hands. As Liz and Katara approached, Liz's jaw lowered to let her speak, but the boys quickly looked up at her with sorry expressions. "Guys," Liz breathed, "w-what's wrong?"

Sokka bit his lip in frightened look that Liz'd never seen before on his face. "Uh, Liz, sit down." Plopping down on the stone floor, Liz brushed her hair behind her ears so she could hear Sokka a little bit better. Furrowing her brow in confusion, the Water Tribe boy continued. "We need to talk to you, now that you're better." His handsome, blue eyes flickered to his sister for an unnoticeable second. "Well, when you were, uh, hurt at the island...We kind of made a decision." Liz's chest tightened in preparation for what he might say next. Glancing at his sister once more, Sokka sighed, "We think it might be better for you to go back to your parents."

Liz's face fell, and the color faded to a pale grey. A solid rock pilled up in her throat, threatening to pour tears over her cheeks. It's like she was slapped in the face. Her lips sealed together by an invisible bond, she wasn't able to respond. A thousand pounds of pressure settled over the kids, and Liz's fighting tears were about to make it two thousand.

They spilled. Silently, but not entirely unseen. Katara threw her long arms around Liz's shoulders, and Aang's head hung. Sokka, serious as ever, knew he'd done the right thing. Liz was safe, and they could continue with their plan for Sozin's Comet. Pushing his hands against the cold ground, he began to lift himself up to his feet.

The clapping of bare feet rushing toward them broke the emotional moment, and Toph was soon in front of them. "Appa's gone!" she shouted. Faster than lightening, Aang's head snapped up in her direction.

"What? When?" Hopping back on his feet, he ran to her, panic bright in his eyes.

"I walked past where we keep him, and he was gone!" At that, Aang took off running, a flash of orange and pale out of the room.

"Toph," Sokka called. Her blind eyes shifted to him. "You and Liz will go search the southern and eastern parts of the temple." His hard eyes flickered to Katara. "Katara, you and I will go search in the northern and western parts of the temple." Katara stood up, a determined look on her face. They ran off. Sokka shouted after him, "Gather the others. We're going to turn this place inside out until we find Appa."

Liz's ears could hear the tapping of their feet as they raced away to search for the beast. Jaw twitching, Liz's palms were pressed flat on the ground as she sat there, still in shock. "C'mon!" Toph yelled at her. "Get up!" Blinking out of her daze, Liz jumped up and joined the eathbender.

**- - -**

Twisting on her heels, Liz caught herself before smashing into Toph who came to an abrupt stop in front of a long and illustrious hallway, branching out into separate rooms and corridors. "Toph, what's wrong?" Liz gasped.

Sighing with annoyance, Toph replied, "He's not here. We need to check somewhere else. Come with me."

Stomping off, ignoring the hall completely, Toph traveled towards another hall, not too far away. "Wait, Toph," Liz protested. "How can you tell? We...We haven't even searched the rooms yet." Toph began to grind her teeth as she turned around to face the girl.

"I'm the world's greatest earthbender."

"But you're blind!" Liz said without thinking.

"Thanks for the update!" Toph responded, stomping on to the next hall.

Bitting her lip, Liz corrected herself. "Th-That's not what I meant. Sorry...I mean, how? You're young. I...I just don't get it."

"Listen, Princess, I know you're used to having these talks with Sugar Queen and all, but we kinda don't have time right now," Toph spat.

"Sorry," Liz repeated. "Sorry." Toph ignored the apologies and kept walking, Appa, the main priority, on her mind.

Liz followed as Toph led her to the next hallway, and it looked just the same. Huge murals painted on the walls of monks and bison, but no Appa. Nothing but dust. "He's not here, either," Toph grunted. "But...wait...Haru? Is that you?" she called into the hallway. Her tomboyish voice bounced off the tall walls, and the echoes flooded Liz's ears.

A head popped out of one of the rooms. It was Haru, all right. The mustache proved it. Running from behind the wall, he shouted, "Toph! Found anything?"

Haru slid to a stop as he neared the girls, flinging dust into the air. Itching Liz's throat, she coughed. "Nope," Toph replied, unharmed by the dust. _Is she used to this filth? _Liz asked herself. "You?"

"Nothing. Man, Aang's gonna be devastated." He shook his head, then let it hang.

"Suck it up, and keep looking," Toph ordered. "We'll find the big fuzzball soon enough." Haru perked up with enthusiasm and ran back to the rooms again. Toph then continued her march through the temple.

**- - -**

Toph finally sat down, shooting up dust once more. Rubbing her dirt-encrusted feet, she sighed in defeat. "Oh man..." she breathed, grasping her head in her hands. Liz stepped towards her, then sat down, legs crossed.

"It's okay," she comforted. "I'm sure Aang will under-"

"You don't get it!" Toph barked, eyes dark. "I've lost Appa once, and Aang's gonna think I lost him again!" Leaning back, Toph lifted her arms and laid her head in her hands, right on top of left. She took a deep breath.

"Well...Can you answer my questions, now?" Liz asked, holding her chin in her palm.

Toph rolled her blind eyes, spitting in the other direction. "Whatever."

"Okay, well, how can you tell where Appa is if you...you know...?"

"Can't see?" Toph finished for her, furrowing her brow. "I already told you. I'm the world's greatest earthbender."

"But that doesn't explain much. What do you mean?" Liz leaned forward, cocking her head to the side.

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

Letting out a sigh, Toph replied, "Well, because I'm an earthbender, I'm sort of connected to the earth in some way. Because I'm blind, I focus on my other senses. In other words, I can feel the vibrations in the ground, so I can see you."

"What?" Liz asked, surprised.

"Well, not 'see' see. I can tell where you are. I can tell where everything is around me. That's why I knew Appa wasn't anywhere in the rooms connected to that hall. That's why I knew Haru was searching there."

"Wow..." Liz marveled. "From what's happened already, I really shouldn't be so surprised, but that's incredible. You're Aang's teacher, aren't you?"

Toph chuckled, a low huff, really. "Yeah, I'm his teacher, but Twinkle Toes isn't too much of a student." Liz slapped a hand to her mouth to hide her quivering lip. "What?" Toph asked.

"Twinkle Toes," Liz giggled.

"Aang's light his feet, okay? Been calling him that since day one. You get used to it after a while." Toph spat once more, and the ball of phlegm landed right where the first one did. It sent a chill down Liz's spine.

"Aang's having a hard time learning earthbending?" Liz inquired, shifting chin rests.

"He's good, but he's still got a lot to work on." She chuckled again, remembering a training session back in the Earth Kingdom. After a moment of silence between the two girls, Toph asked, "Are the questions over now?"

"Yes."

"Good, 'cause we need to get to Aang and Snoozles and see if they've found anything." Cracks could be heard as they stood up and stretch, popping their knuckles as well as their necks.

Suddenly, tip-tapping of feet came once again as the girls saw Sokka running to greet them. "Found anything?" he asked, gasping for air.

"No, Snoozles," Toph mocked, crossing her arms over her chest. "You?" Sokka replied with hesitation, and Toph knew they had a problem.

"Well, I'll go report back to Aang with the news," Sokka breathed. "This isn't good." He slowly turned back, shoulders hunched. Setting a foot in front of him, Sokka dug his toes into a crack in the ground. Taking another step, it was man down. _Crash!_ "I'm okay..." a weak voice whimpered from the floor. Giggles and snorts came from the two girls behind him.


	11. Panda Lily

Hey, guys. Sorry for another insanely late chapter. I'll just use the writer's block excuse again, okay? Oh, by the way, how many of you went to see _Twilight_? From what I've heard, you either love it or hate, and I, personally, loved it. Oh, and, yes, I did scream...kinda loud, too. :) Anyways, I bought the soundtrack after I saw the movie, and I had a "Holy crap!" moment whenever I heard "Supermassive Black Hole" (by Muse). It's AWESOME!

Uh, also, I've updated my profile for those of you that didn't know. I've changed the bio, and I created a poll, too. Voting ends on the tenth, so please get your votes in by then. Thanks!

R&R! -KTBG

P.S. My bad, guys. I have dedications for this chapter: **Western NC man **& **Moons-san**

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**Panda Lily (Furious)**

Aang's nails were digging into his palms as he clenched his fists tighter and tighter. Pacing back and forth, sweat raced down his forehead and cheeks, falling to their doom as they slid down to his chin. _Tap, tap, tap_...

"Aang, calm down," Katara crooned, resting her hands on his shoulders. "You're going to make yourself sick." Breaking from her grasp, Aang ignored her warning. His forehead crinkled in worry as the sun began to drop behind the mountains far away. Appa still wasn't back yet, and the day was almost over.

Furrowing her brow, Katara reached over and grabbed Aang's shoulder once more, stepping in front of him to block his path. "Aang?" Reluctantly, the young Avatar peered upwards to look her in the eyes. Despite his worry, Katara's glistening abyss of blue brought up a sigh from his lungs.

"Katara...I need to find Appa, and I have know idea where he might be..." His voice trailed off.

"I know, Aang. I know," Katara replied in a nurturing tone. Letting go of Aang's shoulder's she promised, "We'll find him. We will."

"But he's been gone for hours! What if we never find him?" the airbender gasped. As a companion to the crinkles on his head, patches of purple began to appear under his eyes. "What if-"

Sokka suddenly appeared on the balcony, mouth practically foaming. "Guys! Haru hit it big time! He caught a whole load of trout in a pond nearby! Come eat!" Running back out, he quickly skidded to a halt, pacing back to assure, "Oh, and there's some fruit for Aang, too."

After Sokka was gone, Katara sighed, "Aang, let's go eat. Maybe it will take your mind off of things." She flashed him a heart-pounding smile that made the boy's lips curl back into a love-sick grin.

"Katara, I really think I should stay here and wait to see if Appa comes back."

Realizing there was no way to break Aang away from his duty, Katara nodded in defeat, walking back to the fire pit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aang saw his glider leaning against the marble wall. "I'll go wait on the cliffs, just in case," he told himself. Grabbing the stick, he slammed the butt on the ground, and two blue wings stretched out with a _whoosh_. Grasping the padded handles, he jumped off the balcony with grace.

**- - -**

"Haru, this trout is amazing!" Sokka gushed with bits of fish falling from his gaping mouth. The mustached earthbender said a quiet thank-you, glancing nervously at the warrior. He'd never seen him this enthusiastic about food. Had he been on the nut diet again, or something?

"Yeah, Rocky," Toph agreed, wiggling her filthy toes. "This is really good!" Haru smiled in response. Soon, the talk of the to-die-for-fish was over, and Liz was wiping her mouth.

"Oh, I'm full," she sighed, falling over to lie on her back.

"Me, too..." Teo groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"Me three," The Duke added with a impish grin that took up most of his face. Only a few chuckles were heard as a reply to the joke.

Crickets began to chirp in the warm summer air, and Liz looked forward, staring at the glittering stars that dotted the black space above them. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. All of a sudden, her eyes flew open in realization. "Wait," she said, sitting back up. "Has anyone seen Zuko?" Looking over at Katara, the waterbender shook her head. "Anyone?"

"No" was everyone's answer. "Hm...That's weird," Liz wondered out loud. "Oh well, I'm sure he's fine..." Lying back down, she threw all of her thoughts into the fire crackling in her ears. Her lids were heavy, and she didn't know how much longer she could go. Surrendering, Liz shut her eyes, drifting off into a wonderful and dreamless sleep.

**- - -**

"Ugh..." Aang huffed. "Where are you, buddy?" Crinkling his nose in worry, the boy stared at the endless sky that was peppered with twinkling balls of white and sometimes gold. Sighing, Aang realized he needed to get back. Grabbing his staff, Aang flew back to the temple, where he knew the others were waiting for him.

Taking a step on the hard floor, Aang arrived back with mostly everyone in their sleeping bags or asleep on the floor. The only one not slumbering was Katara. Hearing Aang's return, she looked up to see his drained face. "Oh, Aang..." she whispered. Getting up from her sleeping bag, she raced towards him, arms open.

Surprisingly, Aang did not return the favor. Eyes glued to the ground, he walked past the waterbender, completely ignoring her offered hug. "He's gone," Aang whispered to himself. "He's gone..." He repeated the claim again and again as he paced once more. Katara, feeling for the Avatar, bit her lip as she went back to her sleeping bag.

"Aang, I'm sure you'll find him," she comforted.

"He's gone..."

"We'll look again in the morning. Go to sleep for now."

"He's gone..."

"Aang, you have dark circles under your eyes. Go to sleep," Katara sweetened the tone of her voice, trying to get Aang's attention. Maybe more comfort? "Aang, he'll be fine."

"He's gone..."

"Aang, please-"

"WILL YOU TWO JUST GO TO SLEEP?!" Sokka shouted from his sleeping bag. He shot up, eyes blazing with fury and sleeplessness.

Aang ignored him, but, because he was so tired, he decided it was a good idea to go to sleep. Lying down felt good, and, soon, he fell asleep, but he tossed and turned all through the night.

**- - -**

"Ahh..." Liz yawned as she stretched, back and neck cracking. Tasting her morning breath, the girl smacked, trying to swallow it. "Ew," she mumbled. Looking around, she saw no one asleep, and, rolling her head once more, she got up. Suddenly, a flash of white caught her eye.

Glancing down, she saw something lying on the ground next to her. Bending down to pick it up, she felt it was creased and smelled unbelievably sweet. "What in the world?" Picking the thing up by it's stem, she held it in her palms, being as careful as possible with the fragile flower. It was white, but had black streaks running along the pedals, which were limp. The stem was a pale green, and the stamen were black poles with bright yellow pollen sitting on top. There was one leaf branching out from the stem, but it was small and rough. Sweeping her fingers across it, Liz could feel the wrinkles and creases etched into it, just like the shriveled pedals. It was strikingly beautiful, and holding it to her nose, it smelled sweet. Like cherry blossoms, but stronger.

Lightly holding the flower by her fingertips, Liz took it with her as she walked to the fire pit, where everyone was gathered for breakfast. Looking to the far side of the ring, Liz saw Aang with an enormous smile smeared across his bright face. "Liz!" he called, excited beyond belief. "Appa came back!" In response, Liz smiled in relief, glad the fuzzy monster had returned to its welcoming family.

Sitting crossed-legged next to her friend, Katara, Liz showed the flower she'd found lying next to her. "Katara, look at this!" she exclaimed. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

The waterbender's eyes lit up at seeing the flower in Liz's hand. "Liz, oh my gosh! That...That's a panda lily!"

"A what?" Liz asked, furrowing her brow.

"It's a panda lily. Very rare. It only grows on the slopes of active volcanoes."

"Really? It's beautiful, isn't it?" Katara nodded in agreement, taking it from Liz and examining it in her soft hands.

"Where did you find it?" she asked, marveling at the rare treasure.

"That's the weird part," Liz began. "I found it lying next to me this morning when I woke up."

"That _is _weird," Katara agreed. "Oh, Liz, want any left over fish?"

**- - -**

Belly full, Liz decided to take a walk around the temple, avoiding Aang at all costs. She didn't want a repeat of the day before. She didn't want to leave this world just yet.

Humming some song unconsciously, Liz tapped her thigh with her hand to keep the rhythm. She even tried to match beats with the steps she took. "Do, do, dum, dee, dum..." she sang joyfully, walking forward without knowing where the paths would take her.

After about thirty minutes of walking aimlessly, Liz came upon a brightly lit terrace with protection from the blazing sun. Sighing, she awkwardly skipped out into the daylight. Standing still, she stared out at the breath-taking view. Snow-capped mountains scrapped the blue sky, distorting the rarely scene horizon. Sniffing the fresh, haze-free air, Liz gripped the flower in her hand tighter. Overwhelmed by nature's beauty, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

"Hello," a raspy voice said from behind her.

Liz jumped, alarmed by the sound of another human being. Turning her head, she saw a patch of unkept black. "Zuko?" The firebender nodded, his hands clasped behind his back. "Where have you been?"

He didn't answer. "Uh...did you like my gift?"

Bringing her hand out in front of her, Liz stared at the heavenly token. "_You_ gave me this?" Liz asked, sounding a little more surprised than she wanted to. Although she was thankful for the present, to Liz, Zuko was still sort of a stranger. He didn't talk much. He mostly sat or stood around with his arms crossed, as if pouting or angry. Thinking about it for the first time, Liz remembered how many times she'd seen him grind his teeth, too.

Zuko nodded once more, but he didn't smile.

Suddenly, a smile was smacked on to Liz's face. "Zuko! It's...It's beautiful! Thank you! Oh my gosh...Thank you!" Liz rambled. "But-But why? How? Oh my gosh...Zuko, h-how did you get it? Katara told me that they only grow on the-" She stopped, eyes wide. "...on the sides of _active volcanoes_." She began to shake her head. "Zuko, you didn't." Tightening her jaw, Liz walked toward Zuko, fists clenched. The boy's reaction was surprising. He backed away slightly, knowing Liz understood what had happened. "Zuko, please tell me you didn't take Appa."

There was no response.

"Zuko!" Liz shouted. "What were you thinking? You had Aang worried sick! We searched all day for him! How could you just take him without telling Aang?!"

"I did it to get that flower for you!" Zuko yelled back, his neck stretched out in anger. "To get you something!"

"I don't care why you left! You took Appa without telling anyone, and, even worse, you went back to that island! You went back to that stupid island! Zuko, you could've gotten yourself killed! What if you had gotten captured? We would've never known!"

Steam crawled out of Zuko's flaring nostrils. "Forget it! I never should've gone!" He swerved on his heels, turning his back to Liz and marching away, furious.

"I'm sure it would've saved Aang some worry!" Liz shouted at his back. She watched him stalk out of sight, and, once he was gone, she crossed her arms, repeating, "Ugh! I should've known! Stupid!"

All of a sudden, Toph appeared from the hallway. "Hey, Liz!" she yelled. Liz's eyes quickly found Toph who's arms were crossed as well.

"Toph, how did you find me?" Liz asked, annoyed. "I've been wandering around for a while."

"I heard the screaming," Toph answered with a laughed. "We all did. Now, c'mon. Aang wants to talk to you."

Liz gulped. "Toph, not now-" The ground beneath Liz's feet shifted and moved towards the blind earthbender. "I hate it when you do that," Liz complained.

"Too bad," Toph replied, grabbing Liz's arm.


	12. We Need To Talk

Sorry for the late chapter, guys. I wish you a very late "Happy Holidays" greeting, which is, of course, entirely heartfelt and blah, blah, blah...

Okay, to make sure that there's no confusion, here's the deal: My friend, Kataang-or-Zutara (who, I'm sure, you're all familiar with by now), and I decided to make a switch. She would write my next chapter of "Liz", and I would write her next chapter of EBBA (which you'll find a link to from my profile...duh). I think she did a wonderful job, but keep in mind this is from Liz's point of view. So she can see how much people enjoy her fabulous writing, please R&R! -KTBG

P.S. I am posting this on from my brand new MacBook, baby! Oh yeah!

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**We Need To Talk**

Toph yanks me by the arm through the maze that calls itself "The Western Air Temple". I can hardly keep track of exactly what pathway or hallway Toph was pulling me down, she was running so fast. The intricit paintings and designs on the walls were only a blur of orange and yellow. All the while, I tried to drag information from her.

"Toph," I whined, trying to realise my arm from her grasp of steel. I dug my heels into the ground, trying to halt my captor. "Can you stop dragging me? My arm is starting to hurt."

"Tough," Toph snapped, not even shooting me a second glance. She stomps her foot without breaking stride, and my heels are shoved out of the ground. I falter, but I remain on my feet.

"Could you at least stop doing that?" I grumbled, reluctantly jogging to keep up with her pace.

"No," Toph replies curtly. She once again stomps her foot without breaking stride and a pillar of earth shoves me from behind. I stumble forward, but luckily remain standing.

"Where are we going?" I question, recovering from my stumble. I was dying for answers.

"We need to talk," Toph repeated.

Revealing nothing.

I shut my mouth, and I am dragged down several more corridors. After about three more minutes of dragging, Toph pulls me into a dimly lit room. I squint my eyes to make out the layout.

My eyes adjust, and I see Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Toph all sitting on a bed, looking grim. There is a bed across from the one they are sitting on, which I sit down on. The walls are plain grey, no ornate designs, no carves, nothing. Blank. The color of the wall and the darkness of the room just screams emo.

_This could be Zuko's room, _I say silently to myself.

"We need to talk," Sokka reluctantly sighs, pulling me from my observations of the room. I turn to the bed across from the one Sokka is sitting at, and I sit down. The old coil springs creak in protest. Over one hundred years of not being used could do that to you. I look at Sokka. He continues, "About you leaving."

My brow furrows in anger. I stand up and nearly shout, "What? How can you expect me to leave? I just got here a few days ago! Do you hate me or something? What did I do?"

Sokka sighs. "We really don't want you to leave, but it's just that-"

"Just what?" I ask angrily. I realize I shouldn't have gotten so mad, but once I got angry, there was no stopping me. "What Sokka? Am I too weak to take care of myself? And even if I am, don't I have you guys to protect me?"

"You've gotten hurt once, Liz," Sokka says, voice quivering at the memory. "One time to many. We feel responsible for your injuries. We're doing this to protect you."

"But-" I start.

Katara interupts me. "Liz, please. Listen to our reasoning. Trust us, it's not that we want you to leave. We just want the best for you," her voice begins to quiver as well, and I stare at her through the darkness of the room.

Her eyes are glistening with tears.

My anger subdues, yet only a bit. I open my mouth to speak, but shut it as I see Aang put his arm around Katara, comforting her.

"I don't want you to leave either," Sokka's voice come from the darkness. "You've already become like a little sister to me. But we just don't think it's very safe for you to be here any more."

I hang my head in defeat. "Okay...." I sigh. Then, an idae pops into my mind. "Can I at least say goodbye to Zuko?"

"Of course," Sokka's voice replies, sadness heavy in his voice.

I walk quickly out of the room, and wander around the halls. Anything to keep me from leaving. As I wander aimlessly around, I begin to think about Zuko.

_I wonder why he gave me that flower in the first place....._

I thought_. I can't believe he was stupid enough to go back to that island. And to take Appa like that, without even telling anybody!_

As I thought about Zuko, and idea struck me.

_What if...._

_No, _I tried to convince myself. _That's the wrong thing to do._

_But if you don't, you'll end up leaving!_

_It's stealing!_

I felt like one of those people with the angel and the devil on their shoulders.


	13. The Island

This chapter is late, so I'm guessing you're not really shocked to see that I've posted it tonight.

Anyways, before I begin, I have some exciting news. Kataang-or-Zutara and I are writing our own story for Fiction Press. If you go to my profile, there is a link to my Fiction Press account, and once you click on that, you'll find a link to the story on my Fiction Press profile. The first chapter is a little rough, but I hope you like it.

Okay, then. That's about it. Uh...I have a poll you can vote in on my profile, and...Oh, Happy New Year! I hope you have a great 2009!

Please R&R! -KTBG

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**The Island**

Stepping into the fading light of twilight, Liz eyed the fuzzy monster she was planning on stealing, or something like that. Trying to hide the sound of tapping feet, she walked quietly and silently. Putting a hand on Appa's side, the bison jumped, surprised by the intruder. "Shh, Appa, shh," Liz whispered, eyes jumping around the room.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed from near a side wall. Liz's pulse began to pound in her ears as her heart rate skyrocketed. While taking deep breaths of shock, no figure emerged from the darkness, and Liz relaxed, stepping up to climb the saddle. "We're going on a trip, buddy," the girl breathed into Appa's fur. Seated on top of Appa's head, Liz reluctantly huffed, "Yip, yip!"

**- - -**

Flying through the summer air felt nice, calming even. Despite the fresh breeze and the glorious pink and purple sky, Liz felt like she'd just killed the president, guilt eating her alive. "I'm so dead," she said, repeating the statement several times before her tongue dried up. Gazing into the dark blue sky, she took a breath, deciding to let the guilt spill as she exhaled.

She approached the island with caution, circling it multiple times before landing. Seeing that the land mass was deserted, Liz pulled Appa's reigns, plunging her into the black abyss of nightfall. Hitting the ground, sand was tossed into the air, and Liz quietly slid off.

As she fell to the ground, Liz pulled off her sandals, throwing them on Appa's back. "There," she groaned. Sinking her bare toes into the cool sand, Liz took a breath, listening closely to the whooshing of the ocean. Keeping one of her hands on the bison's side, she shifted through the grains to Appa's head. "Okay, boy," she whispered in his fuzzy ear, "come back in about two hours, alright?" No response. "Okay, Appa, just go on back. Yip, yip." Appa's tail slapped the ground with massive force, and the bison was soon air-born. Watching him grow smaller and smaller in the distance, Liz mumbled, "He didn't understand a word I said. Oh well."

When the flying creature was out of sight, Liz's eyes fell to the dark ocean, glistening under the now black sky. Breathing in the salty mist, she sighed, "Might as well get some practice time in. I'm going to be here for a while, I guess." Her feet shuffled trough the tumbling sand, finally finding the cool foam on the edge of the beach. As the waves died, they faded into the beach, kissing Liz's naked toes before their foam ran back into the ocean. Breathing in through her nose, Liz felt her lungs fill, making her chest expand. With the air fresh inside her, she bent her knees, keeping her feet wide apart. Putting her hands out in front of her, she pointed her palms toward the sea. Shifting her weight from left to right, she kept her eyes on the swirling water before her. Suddenly, an orb of salty liquid rose above the surface, then quickly formed a long stream, round at both ends. "Okay, Liz, now freeze it." Taking in another breath, she sent a shock wave down her arms, thrusting her fingers forward. The stream froze, but not completely. White encrusted the outer layer of the water, but it wasn't solid. A breeze broke the water's form, and flakes of snow fell back into the ocean's current.

"Hm. Never done that before, " Liz breathed. "Alright. I've got all night." And, through the late hours, Liz continued her training, trying, failing, and trying again the moves "Master" Katara had taught her.

When the girl finally tired, the crescent moon shone bright in the night sky. Arms weak and limp, Liz decided she needed to sleep. Treading up the beach to where the tide couldn't reach her, Liz collapsed in the sand. Lying peacefully before the warm sea, the crashing and whooshing of the waves soothed her, wiping her guilty conscious clean. Not but two minutes after she hit the sand, her lids slid closed, and sleep found her.

**- - -**

"Get up," a harsh voice commanded. Liz's eyes fluttered open, temporarily blinded by the tense sunlight of morning. "I said get up!" the shrill voice shouted. Once her eyes adjusted, Liz looked up to see a girl not much older than Katara staring back down at her with golden eyes. Two black strands of hair fell in her face. "Oh, good. You're awake," she said calmly, followed by, "Now get up!" Realizing the girl was serious, Liz scrambled awkwardly to her feet, fumbling around as the sand tried to engulf her hands and feet. Once she was up, Liz got a better look at the strange girl. She wore red body armor, and was surrounded by men, also in red armor, that seemed alert, ready to strike at any moment. "Thank you," the girl with golden eyes thanked. "Now, can you tell me how you got here?"

"Who...Who are you?" Liz asked in a groggy voice, filled with much-needed sleep.

"Oh, that's right," the girl replied in sort of a seductive and sly tone. "I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Princess Azula, daughter of Firelord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation." Something sparked in the back of Liz's mind, causing her eyes to grow wide, and a gasp to escape. _Zuko's sister! _she screamed in her head. The princess's face fell flat. "I can see you realize who I am, then, correct?" Liz nodded, respectfully. "Good. Now-"

"That's her!" a man in armor shouted from behind Azula's back. "That's the girl that was aiding the Avatar. She punched me in the jaw!" Azula spun around, anger radiating off of her.

"How dare you interrupt me!" she hissed. Liz backed up a step, scared of the tension in the princess's tone. Suddenly, sweat beaded her forehead as Liz watched a flicker in Azula's hand. The bright orange flame grew in the girl's palm, and pulling her arm back, Azula flung the ball of fire in the guard's direction. Locking her eyes shut, Liz refused to watch the rest of the episode. Feeling the girl's glare on her again, Liz reluctantly opened her eyes, and staring back were Azula's blazing pupils. "Tell me where he is! Tell me where the Avatar is!" Flames burned in each hand.

_She wants Aang? But she's insane! _ "No," Liz spat. "I won't tell you where Aang is." At the sound of her refusal, hatred glowed in Azula's expression.

"Then you will have to face the consequences!" A red flame in the princess's right hand morphed into a blazing dagger, and sweat trickled down Liz's cheeks. Raising her hand above Liz's head, Azula prepared to strike. _Goodbye, Mom, I love you. And Lorelei, I'll miss you, best friend..._Liz wrote the will in her head with her eyes shut tight, and she braced for impact. Azula brought her hand down, aiming for Liz's throat. Feeling the heat an inch away, the waterbender sighed in defeat.

"Azula!" someone shouted in the distance. The ring of the familiar voice echoed in Liz's ears. Opening her eyes, she saw a faint flash of crimson.

"Zuko!" she yelled.

"Zuko?" Azula seethed. Twisting her head in the boy's direction, her brow furrowed, and her jaw clenched furiously. Turning to a guard, Azula commanded, "Tie her up!" Throwing Liz into the sand, a guard raced towards her, binding her arms together with a rough rope.

Stepping through the sinking sand, Princess Azula marched towards her brother who waited in his firebending stance. Auzla's face fell into a calm expression, seductive and sly. "Nice to see you again, brother," she announced plainly. "It's been a while, you know."

"Just let her go, Azula," Zuko commanded fiercely.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," his sister replied, stopping ten yards away from her brother. "You see, she has information I need, and, if I let her go, well...I can't get that information. "

"Don't listen to her, Zuko!" Liz shouted, chin dug into the sand. "Run away!" Both royals ignored the outburst.

"Of course," Azula began, bringing up the alternative she desired, "I could always just bring you to Father. I'm sure he'd be simply delighted to see you."

Suddenly, in a fit of rage, Zuko punched the air, sending a blast in Azula's direction. She quickly moved out of its way, shifting her feet to the side in a graceful bound. "Oh, it's a fight you want," she teased. "Alright then!" Bringing her arm back, a flame sprouted and grew in a split second. Sending the fire to her brother, Zuko jumped to the side, avoiding the harsh flames.

As a reflex to his sister's attack, Zuko kicked out, fist resting above his out-stretched leg. Bursts appeared from both limps, headed for Azula's head. Thrusting her arm forward, the princess created a shield of red and orange that exploded as Zuko's blasts hit it spot on. Azula's next move was clever, taking Zuko by surprise. Using the same flame daggers as her threat to Liz, Azula's fists began to glow, and the sharp knives grew bigger and bigger. With a snarl ripping through her lips, Azula lurched forward. Feet dashing across the heavy sand, the girl pulled back her hand, ready and alert. Zuko, taken aback by the flame daggers, punched the air once more, sending a larger flame than before. To block the fire, Azula lost one of her daggers, destroying the deadly blows with her shielding arm.

Liz's eyes grew wide as Azula seemed to grow even more insane with each second of the battle. While the fight continued, Liz watched in terror, lying uselessly on the ground, hands bound together and twitching. Her bottom lip bled because of her teeth digging further and further in with fear. Trying helplessly to break free from her bindings, she glanced at the guard watching over her like a hawk. "Why isn't he helping Azula?" Liz mused as the salty tears from her eyes rushed down her face.

"Enough!" Princess Azula finally shouted after twenty minutes of useless blasts and flames. Evil glare smoldering, she marched towards Zuko who awaited her next attack. Guards that were watching the fight nodded at one another, signaling each other that it was time to join their princess. Liz stared as they encircled Zuko, who tired so hard to prepare himself for the next move. Figuring this would be his last chance, he pulled back his right arm as far as it would go, and, using all of his strength, flung it in his sisters direction. One of the guards, shocked by his effort, hurled a flame at the unsuspecting firebender, hitting his leg and knocking him down to his knees.

Liz's eyes were going blind by the tears gushing from them. Giving it one last go, she thought hard to find a way to free herself. As she witnessed Azula marching towards her injured brother, the idea hit her. Curling her fingers, Liz smiled as they cooled and ice began to form around them. She would have to saw her way out.

"Oh, Zuko," Azula gasped, faking her sympathy. "You look so defenseless. Well, what an advantage for me." Standing over the prince who was grasping his burnt leg, Azula pointed two sharp fingers at the sky. Without warning, cracks of lightning sounded, and the whole island turn blue in the glowing light of a lightning bolt caught in Azula's fingers. As she built up energy inside her body, the girl glared down at Zuko with a mad smile spread across her face. "You're a menace and a pest!" she shouted. "But, soon, you will no loner be a problem."

"No! Stop!" Liz begged, desperately scratching at the rope around her wrists.

The princess's hand began to descend, dragging the lightning down with it. Cackling evilly, she brought right to Zuko's forehead. Knowing this was it, Zuko closed his eyes, waiting for the blue flashes to hit him.

But they never came.

Hearing the rushing of guards and sand hitting his sides, Zuko unwillingly opened his eyes and saw black hair spread out in front him. When his eyes adjusted to the shocking scene, Zuko saw Azula lying face-down in the sand. To the left of her head was a small shard of ice.

Looking up in Liz's direction, Zuko could see the girl standing, fingers encrusted in thin ice and rope lying at her feet. Piecing it all together, he realized what had occurred. Had Liz thrown the pice of ice? Azula was clearly unconscious, and the ice crystal lay there, sparkling in the sunlight.

Liz, forgetting the guards, rushed to Zuko's side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder for support. "Where's Appa?" she asked, gasping for breath. The men in armor turned to them, angry groans escaping their jaws.

"Other side of the island," Zuko replied. Liz nodded, and tried, though she was awfully weak, to heave the boy up to his feet. Finally succeeding, they raced as fast as they could with three legs to the bison waiting for them. Hearing armor clash and moan behind them, they knew the guards weren't far behind.

Suddenly, a voice cried, "You filthy peasant!", and Liz glanced behind to see Azula trailing them.

"Faster," she whispered, encouraging both Zuko and herself. The two of their hearts jumped and throbbed with joy as Appa came into sight. Reaching the beast, Liz commanded, "Climb on. She's gaining." Zuko did as he was told, and, once he was on, pulled Liz on, too.

Fumbling for the reigns, Liz heard Zuko's sister call slyly, "Zuko, are you really going to let this little girl save you?" The prince blushed and began to grind his teeth in fury. "You must have _some _dignity, correct?" she teased again.

Liz, seeing Zuko begin to inch forward, held out an arm to stop him. "No, Zuko," she hissed. "She's just trying to get you down there." Grabbing Appa's leathery reigns, she shouted, "Yip, yip!" Their bodies heaved and swayed as Appa quickly dipped down and rose into the air. With a sigh of relief, Liz watched the island shrink into the horizon.


	14. The End

Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't updated ANYTHING since...God knows how long...Anyways, this is my final chapter of Liz. Enjoy...I hope.

R&R -KTBG

**- - -**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

**The End**

Appa dove in, heading to the balcony. Landing with a hard _thump_, Liz hopped out, scrambling onto her feet as she hit the ground. "Liz!" Katara called, a muttered growl hidden in her tone. A light shock waved through Liz's mind. She'd never heard Katara mad before...

"Katara!" Liz called back. "Zuko's hurt, and I don't know how to heal!" A maternal mask flashed into Katara's features, causing her eyes to melt back to a warm glow. "He's up on Appa." Helping Katara onto the bison, Liz waited below, dreading the fact that Aang would be out any second to find out what all the noise was.

"It's okay," Zuko insisted as Katara laid a hand on his burn. "I'm fine." Katara grinned and rolled her eyes at the thought. Zuko was always trying to be a man...The soothing water settled Zuko's throbbing heart, and, soon, the muscles in his legs agreed with his need for movement. Stretching his leg and kicking the air to make sure, he flung himself off of Appa, helping Katara down afterwards. "Thank you," he mumbled to the waterbender. She nodded and stepped lightly to Liz, who was standing with Aang and Sokka, discussing the events of today.

"Liz, you look like you've just seen a ghost," Sokka stated in an interested tone. Katara figured he was wondering if the Spirits were up to their old tricks again.

"Worse," Zuko interjected, walking forward. "We were attacked by Azula." Sokka's face paled to bone, the blood fleeing from his pessimistic face.

"Wait," Aang started. "What happened, Liz? Why did you take Appa?" To Liz's amazement, there wasn't a hint of bad blood in the Avatar's sweet tone. _Well, I _did_ send Appa back..._Liz mused. As she was about to begin, the corners of her mouth began tilt towards a smile of relief and black humor.

"I...I, uh, ran...away," the girl mumbled, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Why in the world would you do that?" Katara asked, poking her head into the conversation.

"Because...I..."

"Hey! Fuzzles is back!" a rough voice shouted from the distance. Heads twisted to see Toph rubbing Appa's side. Immediately feeling her presence, Toph turned and asked, "Hey, princess, where'd you go?"

Liz groaned at the aggravating nickname and whined, "It's a long story, Toph..."

"Well," Sokka said, cocking his head to the side, "dusk is in an hour, so I might as well start the fire and get cooking." The group nodded eagerly.

**- - -**

"A piece of ice?" Haru asked, smoothing his mustache in thought. Liz shrugged it off, ignoring the attention.

"It was mainly Zuko..." she admitted under her breath.

"So, why did you run away in the first place?" Katara asked in her normal, peppy voice.

"I..." Liz stuttered, back to the beginning, "I...I'm leaving tomorrow, okay?" All eyes perked, widening in surprise.

Katara leaned over to her friend's side and whimpered, "Are you sure that's what you want, Liz?" The girl nodded solemnly, gulping down a lump in her throat. Staring at the ground, she pursed her lips.

"I think it would be best...My family is probably worried..." Zuko's brow furrowed in anger, and he began to grind his teeth. "Listen," Liz continued, "I'm gonna go ahead on to sleep." The others watched as she walked off in silence.

**- - -**

Lying flat on her back, Liz felt the breath move in and out of her lungs while she watched the unmoving sky of a crystal night. The thick summer air smothered her with its choking hold on the wind currents. The peppered starlit sky winked and flashed silently, waiting for the sun to move up in the east. Sighing, Liz's stomach swirled in a panic. What would her parents say? What would she tell her parents? "Hey, mom, I'm back from Avatar world."? A chuckle escaped as the thought comforted her in a strange way.

Of course, at this precise moment in time, nothing mattered to her, just as the morning sunrise had made her feel, the doubt and worry floating to the surface and fleeing with the wind. The way the sky had looked then, orange-drenched and pink-stained, and now, clear and dotted with diamonds with a crescent shining on her dim-litted face, gave her peace of mind. Capturing the moment in her head, she took another breath, one of desire (she wanted nothing more than to let this moment live on forever) and hope (she knew her family would at least be glad to see her back). Reluctantly closing her eyes, she quickly drifted off.

**- - -**

Tears dripped and flopped onto the hard, dusty floor of the temple and Liz's arm wrapped around Katara in a sisterly hug of goodbyes. Katara whispered to her friend, "We'll miss you, Liz. Thank you."

"Thank you, too, Katara," Liz whispered back, voice muffled by Katara's blue shirt. "I'll never forget this place." Tearing her arms away, she moved on to Suki, who stood with watery eyes. "Goodbye, Suki," Liz whimpered, giving her friend a goodbye hug. "I'll miss you." Pulling away, Liz added, "Make sure Sokka doesn't accidentally get himself killed." Suki giggled a bubbly laugh.

"Get over here, you water-logged flamingo!" Toph roared.

"I'll miss you, too, Toph," Liz said, stepping over to Toph who hand her arms tightly crossed over her chest.

"I never I said I'd miss you," she moaned.

"You didn't say you wouldn't miss me, either," Liz hissed, knowing she had Toph beat...A first. "I really will miss you, Toph."

"Yeah..." Toph dismissed.

Next was Sokka, staring at a map clasped tight in his tan hands. Hugging the warrior and moving back, Liz told him, "Take care of Suki, Sokka." He smiled, and she hugged him once more before visiting Aang.

She hugged the airbender and kissed him on the cheek as a farewell gesture. "Thank you for letting me stay, Avatar." He grinned that grin of eternal innocence, and she curtsied as a response. Lastly, she hummed, "Aang, take care of that Katara of yours. She needs you." A hint of crimson seeped into his cheeks.

Liz's head throbbed while the painful steps she took led her to Zuko, who she knew wasn't the friendliest of people. Standing in front of the boy intimidated her, and she could barely get her words up. Staring up at his rock-hard face, she could tell his pale arms were crossed in frustration. "Um...Thanks, Zuko," Liz mumbled. "So...I guess...Bye..." Her eyes stared up at the boy in hopes of a response. There wasn't one. "Okay..." she huffed. Turning away, she knew that she wanted to thank him in a better way, but...But he'd saved her, hadn't he? If he hadn't shown up, she would've been worm food by now...So, maybe...

Twisting around on her heels, she flung her arms around his shoulders and held him in an embrace before quickly releasing him and running off towards the awaiting Appa. "Goodbye!" she called, waving at the new friends she'd made.

After she'd climbed onto the giant saddle, she shouted, "Yip, yip!" and _whoosh_! Up into the air she flew like the Avatar had done so many times before. High in the fresh, summer air, she looked down at the children watching from below. "Bye, Katara!" she called. "Bye, Aang!" They were waving enthusiastically, wishing her well travels. Most were doing the same, but Zuko was staring blankly at the floor. "Bye, Zuko..." Liz whispered.

And the girl flew off, determined to reach her parents and to tell them the truth, whether that put her in an insane asylum, or not. Either way, when Liz left the Avatar's world, their adventure continued as we know it.


	15. Author's Notes

This entire story is dedicated to my friend, Lindsay. She has helped me along in so many ways. Linz, thank you. Is that enough, or will those unicorns come to eat my socks while I sleep?

Um...There are a few things I want to say. First off, this was one of THE most terrible Avatar stories that I know of. Yet, hopefully, it's not a bad story.

I used this as a practice round. The first chapter is awful. Just plain awful...to me, anyway. I know now that I can do better than that. And those of you that have read my chapters have watched me grow. I thank you, friends, for helping me with every step I took. You, my reviewers, are awesome. Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)

Now...some of you may have questions about how the story ended and other stuff. Ha ha! I'm always one step ahead! Before you can even ask me those questions, I'll answer them! :P Beat that, Linz!

**Why didn't Zuko and Liz kiss?**

Zuko's not much of a...kissing kind of person. It would be out of character for him to kiss Liz after about a week.

**What was with Zuko when Liz left?**

Though Zuko would never admit it, he was pretty fond of Liz. Her leaving made him angry, and I'm sure we all know that Zuko holds some of the biggest grudges (second only to Azula...).

**Will you write a sequel to "Liz"?**

Most likely...no. I'm more focussed on a "novel" I'm writing (sorry, you can't find it on FictionPress) and the story Kataang-or-Zutara and I are writing together (and, yes, you _can_ find that on FictionPress).

**How often will you write more stories for FanFiction?**

I'll probably write some random one-shots when I can. I doubt I'll be returning to the _Avatar_-verse anytime soon, though. But, you can look forward to some _Twilight_, _Bones_, or _The Host_ one-shots in the future.

Anyways, guys, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. There's a link to my FictionPress page on my profile, and I'll also be putting some more stories up on there, too.

Remember, cactus juice can be hazardous to your health...But who cares?

Love,

Katybug (KTBG)

--

MUSHY GIANT FRIEND!


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